CHAPTER VII
GATHERING CLOUDS
"A sprained ankle is not so serious," declared Grace from her nest amongthe sofa cushions. It was the Monday after the game. Her varioussympathetic classmates were seated about the Harlowe's comfortable livingroom. A wood fire crackled cheerfully in the big, open fireplace, while alarge plate of chocolate fudge circulated from one lap to another.
"Jessica, will you pour the chocolate?" continued Grace to her friend, whorose at once to comply with her request. "Anne, will you help serve,please?"
Anne accordingly drew about the room a little table on wheels, containingon its several shelves plates containing sandwiches, cookies and cakes.
"Trust to the Harlowe's to have lots of good things to eat," exclaimedMarian Barber. "It must be fun to be laid up, Grace, if you can give aparty every afternoon."
"I must entertain my friends when they are kind enough to come and seeme," answered Grace. "But some people think sandwiches poor provenderunless they are the fancy kind, with olives and nuts in them. Miriam, forinstance would never serve such plain fare to her company as cream cheesesandwiches."
"Here comes Miriam up the walk now," cried Jessica. "She looks as thoughshe had something on her mind."
Presently the door opened and Miriam was ushered in. Grace wondered alittle at her call, considering the unfriendly spirit Miriam had recentlyexhibited toward her. She greeted Miriam cordially. The laws ofhospitality were sacred in the Harlowe family, and not for worlds wouldGrace have shown anything but the kindest feeling toward a guest under herown roof.
Miriam accepted the chair and the cup of chocolate tendered her, ignoringthe plate of cakes offered by Anne. She looked about her like a marksmantaking aim before he fires. There was a danger signal in either eye.
"She is out for slaughter," thought Nora.
"Well, Miriam, what's the news?" said Marian Barber good-naturedly. "Youhave a mysterious, newsy look in your eye. Is it good, bad orindifferent?"
"How did you guess that I had news?" inquired Miriam. Then without waitingfor an answer she went on. "I certainly have, and very unpleasant news, atthat."
"Out with it," said Nora, "and don't keep us in suspense."
"Well," said Miriam, "I suppose you all noticed how the juniors outwittedus at every point last Saturday? We put up a hard fight, too. The reasonof it was that they knew every one of our signals."
"How dreadful!" "How did they get their information?" "Who told you so?"were the exclamations that rose from the assembled girls.
Grace had raised herself to a sitting position and was steadily regardingMiriam, who, well aware of that keen, searching gaze, deliberatelycontinued:
"What makes the matter so much worse is the fact that we were betrayed bya member of our own class."
"Oh, Miriam, you don't mean that?" said Jessica.
"I am sorry to say that it is true," replied Miriam, "and I am going toput the matter before the class."
"Tell us who it is, Miriam," cried the girls. "We'll fix her!"
"Miriam," said Grace in a tone of quiet command that made every girl looktoward her, "you are to mention no names while in my house."
Miriam's face flamed. Before she could reply, however, Grace went on."Girls you must realize the position in which Miriam's remarks place me.She is sure that she knows who betrayed our signals, and is willing toname the person. Suppose she names some girl present. Think of thefeelings of that girl, my guest, yet not safe from accusation while here.I should prove a poor sort of hostess if I allowed the honor of any of myfriends to suffer while in my house.
"The place to discuss these things is in school. There every girl standson an equal footing and can refute any charges made against her. I wish tosay that I have a communication to make which may put a different face onthe whole matter. I know something of the story of those signals. When Igo back to school I shall call a meeting of the basketball team and itssubs. and tell them what I know about it; but not until then. Furthermoreit is not strictly a class matter, as it pertains to the basketballplayers alone. Therefore any one outside the team has no right tointerfere. Please don't think me disagreeable. It is because I am tryingto avoid unpleasant consequences that I am firm about having no namesmentioned here."
"You Need Mention No Names While in My House."]
There was an absolute silence in the room. The girls had a deep regard forGrace on account of her frank, open nature and love of fair play; butMiriam had her own particular friends who had respect for her on accountof her being a Nesbit. She had a faculty of obtaining her own way, too,that seemed, to them, little short of marvellous, and she spent more moneythan any other girl in Oakdale High School. It was therefore difficult tochoose between the two factions.
Nora broke the embarrassing pause.
"Grace is right as usual," she said, "and none of you girls should feeloffended. What's the use of wasting the whole afternoon quarrelling overan old basketball game? Do talk about something pleasant. The sophomoreball for instance. Do you girls realize that we ought to be making someplans for it? It's the annual class dance, and should be welcomed, withenthusiasm. We've all been so crazy over basketball that we've neglectedto think about our class responsibilities. We ought to try to make it agreater success than any other dance ever given by a sophomore class. Wemust call a meeting very soon, not to fight over basketball, but to makearrangements for our dance."
Nora's reminder of the coming ball was a stroke of diplomacy on her part.
What school girl does not grow enthusiastic over a class dance? A buzz ofconversation immediately arose as to gowns, decorations, refreshments andthe thousand and one things all important to a festivity of that kind.
Miriam seeing that it was useless to try to raise any further disturbance,cut her call short, taking with her several girls who were her staunchupholders.
Those who remained did not seem sorry at her departure, and Grace drew abreath of relief as the door closed upon the wilful girl. She had at leastsaved Anne from a cruel attack, but how much longer she could do so was aquestion. Miriam would undoubtedly bring up the subject at the first classmeeting, and Grace was not so sure, now, that the girls would be willingto overlook the loss of the signals when she told them of it.
"I shall be loyal to Anne, no matter what it costs me," she decided. "Shehas done nothing wrong, and Miriam will find that she cannot trample uponeither of us with impunity. As for Jessica and Nora, I know they willagree with me."
Under cover of conversation, Grace whispered to Jessica that she wishedher to remain after the others had gone, and to ask Nora and Anne to dothe same.
When the last of the callers had said good-bye, and the four chums had theroom to themselves, Grace told Nora and Jessica about Anne's mishap, andhow utterly innocent of blame she was.
"Do you mean to tell me that Miriam meant Anne when she said she couldname the girl?" demanded Nora.
"She did, indeed," replied Anne, "and if it had not been for Grace shewould have made things very unpleasant for me."
"Humph," ejaculated the fiery Nora, "then all I have to say is that Idon't see how a nice boy like David ever happened to have a horridhateful, scheming sister like Miriam. Stand up for Anne? Well I ratherthink so! Let Miriam dare to say anything like that to me."
"Or me," said Jessica.
"I knew you girls would feel the same as I do," said Grace. "Anne has sometrue friends, thank goodness. You see Miriam is basing all hersuppositions on the fact that Anne was allowed to come to practice. Shedoesn't know anything about the loss of the signals. You remember sheobjected to Anne seeing the practice game. Now she will try to show thatshe was right in doing so."
"Let her try it," said Jessica, "She'll be sorry."
"I am not so sure of that," said Anne quietly. "You know that Miriam hasplenty of influence with certain girls, while I am only a stranger aboutwhom no one cares except yourselves and the boys and Mrs. Gray.
"You are the brightest girl in school just the
same," said Nora, "and thatcounts for a whole lot. Miss Thompson likes you, too, and our crowd is notto be despised."
"You are the dearest people in the world," responded Anne gratefully."Please don't think that I am unappreciative. You have done far too muchfor me, and I don't want you to get into trouble on my account. As long asyou girls care for me, I don't mind what the others think."
"Don't say that Anne," said Jessica. "You don't know how mean some ofthose girls can be. Don't you remember the junior that was cut by herclass last year? Of course, she did something for which she deserved to becut, but the girls made her life miserable. The story went through everyclass, and she got the cold shoulder all around. She's not here this year.Her father sent her away to school, she was so unhappy. You remember her,don't you?" turning to Grace and Nora.
Both girls nodded. The story of the unfortunate junior loomed up beforethem. Every girl in High School knew it.
"We can only hope that history will not repeat itself," said Gracethoughtfully. "Of course, I don't mean that there is any similaritybetween the two cases. That girl last year was untruthful and extremelydishonorable. It is perfectly ridiculous to think of placing the blame forthose signals upon Anne. If the girls are silly enough to listen toMiriam's insinuations, then they must choose between Miriam and me. Anneis my dear friend, and I shall stick to her until the end."