CHAPTER XVI.
THE MCLEAN SUPPER.
Nance did get a telegram from her mother that afternoon. It was veryvague about trains and merely said: "Arrive in Wellington about two thisafternoon. Meet me. Mother."
Fortunately, the girls were as familiar with the train schedule as withtheir own class schedules, and knew exactly what train she meant.
"It's the two-fifteen, of course," announced Judy. "Shall we go downwith you to meet her, Nance?"
"Why, yes; I think mother would like that very much," answered Nance,pleased with the idea. "She loves attention."
Therefore, when the two-fifteen pulled into Wellington station, ourthree freshmen, together with Margaret Wakefield heading a deputationfrom the Freshman Suffrage Club, and Miss Bowles, teacher in HigherMathematics, were waiting on the platform.
"There she is!" cried Nance, with a note of eagerness in her voice thatmade Molly's heart ache.
They all moved forward to meet a gaunt, tired-looking woman, with asallow, faded complexion and a nervous manner; but her brilliant,clear brown eyes offset her unprepossessing appearance. Glowing withintelligence and with feverish energy they flashed their message tothe world, like two mariner's lights at sea, and those who caught thatburning glance forgot the tired face and distraught manner of the womanof clubs.
"How are you, my dear?" she said, kissing Nance quite casually, withoutnoticing where the kiss was going to land, and scarcely glancing at herdaughter.
She had evidently been making notes on the trip down and still carrieda pencil and some scrap paper in one hand, while the other graspedher suit case, of which Nance promptly relieved her. She shook handscordially with Miss Bowles, and the girls whom Nance introduced,searching the face of each, as a recruiting officer might examineapplicants for the army. Then they all climbed into the bus andpresently she plunged into a discussion with Miss Bowles on the advanceof the suffrage movement in England and America.
"And this is the woman," whispered Judy to Molly dramatically, "who hasspoken before legislatures and represented the suffrage party abroad andbeen regent of Colonial Dames and President of National Societies forthe Purification of Politics and--and lecturer on 'The History ofLegislation----'"
"How under the sun can you remember it all?" interrupted Molly.
"I don't think I have got them straight," answered Judy, "but they allsound alike, anyhow, so what's the odds?"
Molly discreetly took herself off to Judy's room that afternoon, leavingNance and her mother together for the short time that elapsed before thelecture was to begin. But Nance soon followed them.
"Mother wants to be alone," she said. "She has some notes to look over,and she has never read her day-before-yesterday's mail yet. By the way,you are not going to the lecture, are you?"
"Of course we are," answered the girls in the same breath.
"But the walk?"
"That can be postponed until to-morrow," answered Molly promptly. "Theboys are going to spend the night at the McLean's, you know."
Thus Nance's happiness was all arranged for by her two devoted friends.
The gymnasium was only half full when the girls escorted "the mostdistinguished clubwoman in America" across the campus and into the greathall. The freshmen had turned out in full force, partly to do honor toNance and partly because President Margaret Wakefield had been talkingup the lecture beforehand. Miss Walker and others of the faculty werethere, and in a far gallery seat Molly caught a glimpse of ProfessorGreen, whose glance seemed to be turned unseeingly in her direction.
If Judy and Molly had had any fears as to how the absent-minded memberof clubs was going to conduct herself on the platform, all doubts weresoon dispelled. After the introduction made by the President, thelecturer's nervous manner entirely disappeared. She approached the frontof the platform with a composure marvelous to see, and in a cultivated,trained voice--not her everyday voice, by any means--she delivered anaddress of fervid and passionate eloquence; a plea for woman's rightsand universal suffrage so convincing that the most obstinate "anti"would have been won over. After the lecture there was an impromptureception on the platform; then tea at Miss Bowles' room and at lasthome to dress for the supper parties.
Judy and Molly had hastened ahead, leaving Nance to tear her mother fromher circle of admirers with the plea that she would be too late. Attwenty minutes before seven they hurried in, Mrs. Oldham looking sofrail and exhausted that it hardly seemed possible she could keep up.While her poor daughter dashed into her own clothes, her mother sat limpand inert during the process of having her hair beautifully arrangedwith lightning speed by the deft and handy Judy, while Molly gavethe weary woman aromatic spirits of ammonia in a glass of water andpresently hooked her into a dinner dress which was really very handsome,of black lace over gray satin.
"Thank you, my dears," she said amiably, giving an absent-minded glanceat herself in the glass. "You are very kind, I am sure. I am such abusy woman I have little time to spare for beautifying; but I must sayMiss Kean has improved my appearance by that high arrangement of hair."
They were surprised that she remembered Judy's name until they learnedfrom Nance later that such was her training in meeting strangers, shenever forgot a name or face.
"Now, where am I going?" continued the famous clubwoman. "You will dropme there, you say? You are going somewhere, Nance?"
"Yes, mother," answered Nance patiently. It was the third time she hadtold her mother that fact.
At last they got her be-nubiaed and be-caped, and at exactly two minutespast seven o'clock deposited her at the President's front door.
Then, with feelings of indescribable relief, they ran gayly across thecampus, chattering and laughing like magpies.
Ten minutes later they were seated at Mrs. McLean's large round suppertable.
Professor Green, seated just opposite Nance, gave her happy, glowingface a long questioning look, then turning to Molly next to him, hesaid:
"She is enjoying it, isn't she?"
"Yes," whispered Molly; "thanks to you, good fairy."
"But the wish must come before the fairy acts, so that, after all, oneis far more important than the other," he replied.
"Wasn't the lecture wonderful?" asked Molly.
"Very remarkable," he answered. "Women like that should take to theplatform and leave families to other women to rear."
"They certainly can't do both," said Molly, remembering poor Nance'soutburst the afternoon before.
"And if you have the vote," went on the Professor in a louder voice, andwith a kind of mock solemnity, "what will you do with it?"
"They'll pitch all the men out of office, Professor," called Dr. McLean,who had overheard this question; "and they'll do all the work, too, andwe men will begin to enjoy life a little. We've been slaves long enough.I'm for the emancipation of men," he cried, "and Woman's Suffrage is theonly way to bring it about."
They all laughed at this original view of the question, and Mrs. McLean,a charming woman with a beautiful Scotch accent, impossible to imitate,observed:
"My dear, the women are just as great slaves as the men, and they workmuch harder, if only you knew it. But you don't because we are carefulto conceal it. There are _vera_ few women who do not wear their companymanners in the presence of a man, take my word for it."
"Is that the reason you are always so charming, Mrs. McLean?" put inProfessor Green. "But I suspect you have only company manners."
"Not at all, Professor; young Andy will tell you that I can be rudeenough at times."
Andy McLean, a tall, raw-boned youth with sandy hair and a thin,intelligent face, was too deeply engaged in conversation at that momentwith Nance, to hear his mother's speech.
"Let him alone, he's busy," remarked his father with a humorous smile.
"There's an old song we sing at home," went on Mrs. McLean, "'there'snae luck in tha' hoose when the gude man's awa',' but it should be thegude wife, for if ever a house goes to sixes and sevens it is my ownhouse wh
en I leave the two Andys and take ship for Scotland for a bit ofa visit. There's nae luck in the hoose for certain, and glad they areto get me back again, if 'tis only for their own personal comfort."
"Hoity, toity, mother," exclaimed the doctor; "we're joost as glad tohave you for your ainsel', my dear."
"Now, is it so, then?" laughed the gude wife. "Well, that's satisfyingassurance, truly."
They found the doctor and his wife very amusing, and Molly likedLawrence Upton, too, who was seated on her other side. He was a typicalcollege youth, tall and stalwart, his brown hair brushed back in apompadour, his clear, ruddy complexion glowing with vigor. In fact, hewas one of the leading athletes at Exmoor, and had won a championship athigh jumping and running.
"I hope we'll have some dancing after dinner, Miss Brown," he said. "Ihear Southern girls fairly float, and I'd like to have a chance to findit out."
"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed with me, then," answered Molly. "I'vebeen leading at most of the college dances this fall, and it's ruinationto good dancing, you know. A leader is always pulling against the bitlike a badly trained horse."
"You look to me like a thoroughbred, Miss Brown," said the gallantyouth. "I'm not afraid of your pulling against the bit."
There _was_ some dancing after dinner in the McLean's long,old-fashioned drawing-room, while Mrs. McLean herself played longold-fashioned waltzes on the piano, funny hop polkas and schottisches ofantique origin. They enjoyed it immensely, however, fitting barn dancesto the schottisches and mazurkas and two steps to the polkas. TwiceProfessor Green engaged Molly in a waltz. She had anticipated that hisdancing would be as old-fashioned as the music, but to her surprise, shefound him thoroughly up to date. In fact, she was obliged to admit thatthe Professor in English Literature danced better than any of theyounger men at Mrs. McLean's that night.
It was really the most delightful evening Molly had spent since she hadbeen at Wellington. To Nance, it was the most delightful evening of herentire life and Judy, who always enjoyed the last time best of all, toldMrs. McLean when they left that she had never had a better time in herlife.
After the dance, they sat around the big open fire, roasting chestnuts,while Dr. McLean sang a funny song called "Wee Wullie," and Judyfollowed with an absurd "piece" on the piano called "Birdie's Dead," inschottische time, which sent them into shrieks of laughter and amusedDr. McLean so that he laid his head on his wife's shoulder and wept withjoy.
Sitting in the inglenook by the fireplace, Professor Green said toMolly:
"I have been waiting to say something to you, Miss Brown, and I will askyou to regard it as confidential."
She looked up thinking perhaps it was the comic opera he was going totalk about, but she was vastly mistaken.
"When, as Botticelli's Flora, you came to that night with the words, 'Isaw her----' you did not guess, did you, that I, too, had seen her?"
They looked at each other and a flash of understanding passed betweenthem. They now shared two secrets.
"I always wanted to tell you," he continued in a low voice, "how much Iadmired your generous silence. You are a very remarkable young woman."
With that the party broke up. Later, stretching her long slenderness inthe three-quarter bed beside Judy, Molly smiled to herself, and decidedthat some older men were almost as nice as some young ones.