CHAPTER XIX.
THREE FRIENDS.
Nance was still sound asleep when Molly crept from her bed and dressedherself. It was a dismal cold morning. A fine snow was falling and sheshivered as she tied a scarf around her head, threw her long grayeiderdown cape over her shoulders and slipped from the room, withoutwaking her friend, who was weary after the excitements of the daybefore.
Across the wind-swept campus she hastened, anxiety lending swiftness toher steps, and at last reached the Athletic Field. At the far endsnuggled several low wooden sheds like a group of animals trying to keepwarm by staying close together.
"I must hurry," Molly thought, "or the snow will be so thick I shallnever be able to find the ring," and summoning all her energy she ranas fast as she could straight to the spot where she remembered to havedropped the day before behind the sheds. Breathless and tingling allover with little prickly chills, she knelt down and began to search inthe dead grass, brushing the snow away as she hunted. She had notstopped to find gloves, neither had she wasted any time lacing herboots, but had slipped on some pumps at the side of the bed.
For a long time Molly searched every inch of the ground back of thesheds where she might have been. Then, with an ever-growing feelingof desperation, she hunted in the field itself, across which she hadfollowed the parade. And it was here that Judy and Nance found her soabsorbed in her search that she had not even noticed their approach.
"Oh, Molly, Molly! what are we going to do with you?" cried Nance,seizing her by the arm impulsively. "You'll kill yourself by yourimprudence. Why didn't you wait and let us look?"
Molly opened her mouth to answer, and the words came out in a huskywhisper. She had entirely lost her voice from hoarseness, without evenknowing that she had caught cold.
"I've looked everywhere," she whispered, "and I haven't found it. Icouldn't have lost it while I was on the stilts, because I never let goof them for a moment. It must have been when I fainted."
"Judy, you take her home while I look again," volunteered Nance.
"Take her to the infirmary, you mean," answered Judy, and she promptlyled Molly by a short cut toward the last house on the far side of thecampus, where stood the small college hospital.
Molly obediently allowed herself to be piloted along. Her cheeks wereburning; there was a feverish light in her eyes, and she no longer feltcold at all, but hot all over with little chills along her spine.
"I'm afraid I'm a great nuisance, Judy, dear. I hope you'll forgive me,but I'm really in great trouble," she said huskily, as Judy confided herto one of the two nurses at the hospital.
"Don't worry," was Judy's parting command. "We'll find the ring. Itcan't possibly be lost utterly. It's too big and green. I'll see JudithBlount, too. Some one may have found it and returned it to her by thistime. I'll leave a notice on the bulletin board and stand my little St.Joseph on his head," she added laughing. "You may be sure I'll leavenothing undone to find that old ring."
The first thing Judy did after breakfast that Sunday morning was to paya visit to Judith Blount. There was a placard on her door announcing towhom it might concern that Judith was busy and did not wish to bedisturbed, but Judy knocked boldly and at an impatient "Who is it?"replied: "I wish to see you on important business. Please unlock thedoor."
Judy couldn't make out why Judith Blount looked so white and uneasy whenshe entered the room; nor why her expression changed to one of intenserelief a moment later.
"I came to ask you," began Judy abruptly, "if any one had found youremerald ring."
"Miss Brown has my ring," answered Judith promptly.
"Didn't you know that Molly had fainted and is now ill in the hospitaland the ring is lost?"
"My emerald ring lost?" Judith almost shouted.
"Don't carry on so about it," put in Judy. "It'll be found. Mollyherself was up at dawn this morning. She stole away before anybody couldstop her, and went to the field to look for it, but she hasn't beenable to find it, and neither has Nance, who looked for it later. Nancehas gone down to the village to find the surrey that took Molly home. Weare all doing everything we can and in the meantime I thought I wouldtell you so that you could help us."
Judy could be very impudent when she wanted to, and she was impudentnow, as she stood looking straight into Judith's angry black eyes.
"She should have been more careful," burst out Judith in a rage. "How doI know that----" she stopped, frightened at what she was about to say.
"Better not say that," said Judy calmly. "It simply wouldn't go, youknow, and you must know as well as I do that it would be absolutelyfalse."
"How do you know what I was going to say?"
"I could guess," said Judy, shrugging her shoulders. "I can often guessthings you would like to say, but don't, Miss Blount. What I came forwas to ask you to help us find the ring. Molly is very ill, and, ofcourse, it's the loss of the ring as much as anything else that's madeher so. We're all doing the best we can, and if you'll just kindly addyour efforts to ours, it might help some."
"Supposing the ring isn't found, what redress have I? It's been in ourfamily for generations. It was brought over from France by a Huguenotancestor----"
"Nice place to be wearing it, then, at a football game!" exclaimed Judyindignantly. "And then forcing other people to take charge of it foryou! Redress, indeed! Do you want Molly to pay you for your ring? I tellyou, Miss Blount, that a person who really had Huguenot ancestors wouldnever have suggested such a thing. It wouldn't have been Huguenotetiquette."
And Judy flung herself out of the room and down the steps before theastonished Judith had time to realize that she had been insulted by anupstart of a freshman.
It looked very much for a day or two as if Molly were going to have acongestion in one lung. For several days she was a very sick girl. Shehad a strange delirium that she was looking for something while she waswalking on stilts. Many times she asked the nurse if sapphires were asvaluable as emeralds, and once she demanded to know if an emerald aslarge as her little finger nail was worth much money, say, two acres ofgood orchard land. But the lung was not congested, as Dr. McLean had atfirst thought. In a day or two the fever subsided and by Thursday shewas able to sit up in bed, propped by many pillows and see Judy andNance.
Her room was a bower of flowers. They had even come from Exmoor,Lawrence Upton having sent her a box of lovely pink roses. Mrs. McLeanhad brought her a bunch of red berries from the woods, and one day twocards were brought up, one of which looked familiar: Miss Grace Greenand Mr. Edwin Green, inquiring as to the improvement in Miss MollyBrown's condition, were pleased to hear that she was better.
And now Nance and Judy sat on either side the young invalid, each tryingto assume a cheerful expression and each feeling that whateverdisagreeable things had happened--and several had happened--they must behidden from Molly at all costs.
Judith Blount had scattered reports around college of an extremelyhateful character which Molly's friends had done their best to suppress.The ring had never been found, although everything had been done thatcould be thought of in the way of advertising and searching.
Moreover, Miss Steel had asked twice of Molly's condition in a verymeaning tone of voice, and had wished to know exactly when the nursethought Molly would be able to see visitors. These things the girlsknew, and since Molly was still weak and very hoarse, her friends werecareful to keep off dangerous subjects.
Strange to say, Molly had never mentioned the ring to any one since shehad been in the hospital.
"Everybody has been so beautifully kind," she was saying, "and really,I think the rest is going to do me so much good, that when I get wellI'll be better than I was before I got sick," she added, laughing.
"We've missed you terribly," said Nance dolefully.
"Queen's just a dead old hole without you, Molly, dear," went on Judyaffectionately.
Molly smiled lovingly at her two friends.
"You are the dearest----" she began, taking a hand of each when thenurse
entered.
"Miss Stewart would like to see you, Miss Brown."
"Oh, yes," cried Molly; "do ask her to come up."
Nance and Judy did not linger after Mary Stewart's arrival. Her facealso wore a serious look, and she took Molly's hand and gazed down intoher face almost with a compassionate expression.
"How are you, Molly, dear?"
"Oh, I'm much better," replied Molly, cheerfully. "I shall be up byto-morrow, the doctor says, and I expect to go back to Queen's Sunday."
Mary sat down and drew her chair up close to the little white bed.
"It's almost providential my being in the hospital like this," went onMolly, "it's rested me so. You see, I was terribly worried aboutsomething when I came here."
"And you aren't worried any longer?"
"No; I've conquered it. I know it's got to be faced; but I believe therewill be a way out of it, and I'm not frightened any more. I have alwayshad a kind of blind faith like that when things look very black."
"You are talking of the emerald ring, aren't you, Molly?"
"Yes, Mary. I know it hasn't been found, of course. I can tell that bythe girls' faces, and I know that Judith Blount is--well, she is yourfriend, Mary----"
"Oh, no; not now," put in Mary. "We've had a--er--difference of opinionthat has--well, not to put too fine a point on it, broken up ourfriendship. I always admired her, without ever really liking her."
Molly looked at Mary and a very tender expression came into her heavenlyblue eyes.
"Was the difference about me?" she asked presently.
Mary hesitated.
"Yes, Molly; since you force me to tell you, it was."
"She has been saying some horrid things? Of course, I knew she would. Iwas prepared for that. And I could tell----" Molly paused. "No, no, Imustn't!" she exclaimed hastily.
"What could you tell, Molly?"
"Don't ask me. I would never speak to myself again, if I did tell. Shehas been saying that I never lost the ring, that I was poor and neededthe money, and things like that. Tell me honestly, isn't that thetruth?"
Mary nodded her head and frowned. There was a silence, and presentlyMary's strong, brown fingers closed over Molly's slender ones.
"Molly," she began in a business-like tone of voice, "I'm almost gladthat this subject has come up because I came here really to----" shebroke off. "It's very hard," she began again. "I hardly know how to putit. You knew, Molly, dear, that I was rich, didn't you?"
"Why, yes; I guessed you must be, although you have been careful not tomention it yourself. You're the most high-bred, finest girl I ever knew,Mary," she added impetuously.
Mary laughed.
"That's nice of you to say such things, dear, because I haven't but oneancestor on my paternal side and that's father, but he's generations inhimself, he's so splendid. But to go on, Molly, dear, I am rich, notordinarily rich, but enormously, vastly rich. It's absurd, really,because we'll never spend it, and we don't care a rap about saving it;but whatever father touches just turns to gold."
"I wish he'd touch something for me," laughed Molly, wistfully.
"Now, listen to me, dear, and don't interrupt. Father adores me to thatextent that I could spend any amount of money and he would just smileand say: 'Go ahead, little Mary, go as far as you like.' But, you see,I only want a few very nice things, consequently, I can't be extravagantto save my life."
Molly laughed aloud at this naive confession.
"The point I'm coming to is this, Molly: Judith Blount is beingexceedingly horrid over that ring. I believe myself it will be foundeventually. But until it is found, I want you--now don't interrupt meand don't carry on, please--I want you to ask her the value of her oldring and give her the money for it. If she chooses to be ill-bred, shemust be treated with ill-bred methods."
"But, dearest Mary, I can't----" began Molly.
"Yes, you can. I haven't known you but a few months, Molly, but I'velearned to love you in that time. And when I really care for any one,which is seldom, she becomes a sister to me. You are my little sister,and shall always be. I shall never change. And between sisters theremust be no foolish pride. Now, Molly, I want to settle this thing withJudith Blount once and for all, through you, of course. She is not toknow I had anything to do with it. You must tell her that you haveraised the money and would like to pay her the full value of the ring.When the ring is found, she can give you back the money. That will stopher wicked, wagging tongue, at least."
Molly tried hard not to cry, but the tears welled up in her eyes andtrickled down her cheeks. She took Mary's hand and kissed it.
"I wish I could kiss you, dearest Mary," she sobbed; "but you see, I'vegot such a bad cold."
How could she thank Mary for her generous offer or explain that herfamily would never allow her to accept the money, even if she felt shecould herself?
"You are the finest, noblest, most generous girl," she went on brokenly.
"No, I'm not," said Mary. "It's easy to do things for people we love andeasier still when we have the money to do it with. If I hadn't been sofond of you, Molly, and had been obliged to deny myself besides, thatwould have been generosity. This is only a pleasure. A sort ofself-gratification, because I've adopted you, you see, as my littlesister."
Molly lay quietly for a while with her cheek pressed against Mary'shand.
"Are you thinking it over?" asked Mary at last, patting her cheek.
"I'm thinking how happy I am," answered Molly.
"As soon as you are well, then," went on Mary, rising to go, "you musthave an interview with Judith and settle the whole thing."
Molly smiled up at her friend and squeezed her hand.
There are times when two friends need not speak to express what theythink.
"Even if I never win the three golden apples," she reflected after Maryhad gone, "I have won three friends that are as true as gold."