*CHAPTER III*
*FUTURE PLANS*
"We are spending the winter in New York; actually I have been intendingto write you for weeks, Bettina, but have been too busy; Alice and I aretaking special courses at Columbia and Sally is here keeping house forus," Vera Lagerloff answered.
"Have I talked so much, Tante, that you have had no opportunity to tellme so important a piece of news?" Bettina inquired.
After finding chairs for her guests, Mrs. Burton had seated herself on acouch beside Sally Ashton. She now shook her head.
"No, Bettina, I could not have told you, since I had no idea the girlswere in New York. You see, they have never before been to see me or letme hear where they were. Have you been in town long?"
There was a short, uncomfortable silence.
"About a month; but please let me explain," Alice Ashton said, seeingthat the other girls were waiting for her to assume the responsibilityof a reply. "I realize this must seem strange to you, and I grant youit does look odd, as if we had lost all our affection and gratitude.And yet you can not believe this of us!"
"I have made no accusation," the Camp Fire guardian returned, yet in hertone and manner there was an unconscious accusation, which made itdifficult for Alice to continue.
"I am afraid you are wounded, Tante; I am sorry," she added awkwardlyand paused.
Guardian of the Sunrise Camp Fire girls for a number of years, Mrs.Richard Burton, whose professional name was Polly O'Neill Burton, hadgiven up her career on the stage and traveled with the Camp Fire girlsin the west. Later when the great war turned the world upside down shehad gone with them to Europe accompanied by a wealthy and eccentricspinster, Miss Patricia Lord. After two years in France and a summer inEngland they had come back to their own country and on account of theCamp Fire guardian's health had spent the preceding winter in theAdirondacks.[*]
[*] See "Camp Fire Girls" Series.
With the close of the winter Mrs. Burton had returned to the stage andthe Camp Fire girls to their homes. There had been no meeting betweenthem until to-day.
"Tante" was the title which the greater number of the Sunrise Camp Firegirls used in speaking to their guardian.
"Please don't behave as if you were too wounded to be angry," SallyAshton remonstrated, moving closer to the older woman and slipping anarm about her. "And please remember that it is a good deal more of atrial for your Camp Fire girls to have been separated from you for allthese months than for you to have had a brief rest from their society.Some of us at least realize that you have given too much of yourself tous for the last few years when a so much larger public needed you. Ican't tell you how proud I am of your latest success. I have read dozenof notices in the papers and the critics all say that you are morewonderful than ever."
Mrs. Burton smiled.
"You are very complimentary, Sally dear, and of course I am immenselyflattered. Nevertheless this does not explain why you girls have nevercome near me for a month, or taken the trouble to write or telephone.This would not have interfered seriously with the holiday which you seemto feel I have required."
Rising, Alice Ashton came over and stood before her guardian, herexpression unusually gentle and affectionate. Ordinarily Alice was nottactful, although sincerity and a fine sense of honor were her rulingcharacteristics.
"See here, Tante, we are in an uncomfortable position and there isnothing to do save tell you the entire story and let you judge. Youwill say frankly whether you think we have been right or wrong. I feelsure that Sally and Vera have felt as I do, when I say there hasscarcely been a day since our arrival in New York when we have notthought of you and longed to see you. We have been to your play severaltimes."
"Why avoid me, dear? What can it be that you find so difficult to say?I prefer to know."
"Even if the reason will trouble you more than the fact? The truth isthat Aunt Patricia would not agree to have us see you."
"So Aunt Patricia's influence is stronger than your feeling for me!Perhaps that is as it should be, but I can not altogether recognize whatI have done which makes Aunt Patricia not only refuse to have anythingto do with me herself, but wish to separate you Camp Fire girls from meas well. I suppose she fears I may affect you with the ingratitude andobstinacy I possess. As long as you were so compliant with AuntPatricia's wish, Alice, why did you change? Aunt Patricia has notchanged!"
"You are angry and hurt and I don't know how to go on," Alice returned,her gray blue eyes darkening, a flush coming into her cheeks.
"Then don't try, Alice," Sally interrupted. "Tante, please be sensibleand don't make a tragedy over a situation that is uncomfortable enoughfor us all, goodness knows! I have no gift of words but at least I canspeak plainly. Alice and Vera both feel under obligation to AuntPatricia because she is paying their expenses in New York this winter.I have not been here so long as they have, in fact I only arrived a fewdays ago. Aunt Patricia has rented a lovely little apartment for us andis being generous as only she can be. So when she asked Alice and Veranot to come to see you, they considered that in a way they were obligedto do as she asked; I had no such feeling. Aunt Patricia has beenspending a few days with us and this morning at breakfast, I had thematter out with her. I simply told her I was coming to call on you,that she of course must do as she liked, but that I had been caring foryou all my life and had no idea of ever doing anything else. If she didnot wish me to remain on at the apartment, she could of course send mehome."
"Bravo, Sally!" Bettina Graham said softly under her breath.
"Of course," Sally added, "Alice and Vera have a different attitudetoward Aunt Patricia. I have never been a favorite with her, as theyhave, or lived alone with her during their reconstruction work inFrance. My own opinion is that Aunt Patricia wants to see you so muchherself that she is unwilling to have us see you, for fear we shall talkof you afterwards. She made it a stipulation this morning when sheagreed we could come to see you that your name was not to be mentionedin her presence. I really am awfully sorry for her. She is very lonelythis winter I am afraid, shut up in her big house near Boston. She caresfor you more than any one in the world, and only comes to New Yorkoccasionally, I really believe to find out how you are, although no oneof us has been able to discover if she has been to see you act."
During Sally Ashton's long speech neither her sister, Alice, nor VeraLagerloff had appeared particularly serene.
Vera Lagerloff was an unusual looking girl; at Sally's words, her eyesnarrowed, her skin paled slightly and her lips parted over her firm,white teeth. In all the years of their Camp Fire life together, no oneof her companions had ever seen Vera seriously angry, although shealways insisted that notwithstanding her American birth, she shared theRussian peculiarity.
She looked more aggrieved at this moment than was customary.
"Sally is making a good story so far as she is concerned, although notso fortunate a one for us," she commented. "Still the worst of it is,Mrs. Burton, that Alice and I cannot altogether deny the truth of whatshe has told you." (Vera was always more formal in her manner towardthe Sunrise Camp Fire guardian than the other girls, and rarely used thetitle of "Tante.") "We do feel under obligation to Aunt Patricia;neither Alice nor I could have afforded the winter at Columbia save forher kindness. Yet she did not insist on our not coming to see you, orletting you hear from us. She merely asked it as a favor, and only for alimited length of time. One of the reasons she gave was that you hadchosen to separate yourself from us in order to give your time andenergy to your stage career and that we should not interfere. Alice andI were merely waiting to decide what was wisest and best."
"Very well, I understand; please let us not discuss the question anyfurther. Of course, Vera, dear, I know Aunt Patricia also told you Iwould be an unfortunate influence, but you are perfectly right not tospeak of this. Do tell me what you and Alice are studying at Columbiaand whether you like New York and, oh, dozens of other
things!"
The Camp Fire guardian's manner was sweet and friendly as her armencircled Sally and she gave her an affectionate embrace.
Sally dimpled and smiled.
"You are a prophet, Tante. Aunt Patricia suggested only this morningthat in order to have your own way, you disregarded every one's wishes.The implication was that I bore a slight, but unfortunate resemblance toyou."
At this the other girls laughed and the atmosphere cleared.
"Alice is preparing to study medicine and I am taking a course inarchitecture and another in domestic science. Aunt Patricia talkssometimes of returning to France and spending the rest of her days overthere at her home for French war orphans. She says if we wish and ourparents agree she may take Alice and me with her."
Sally Ashton shook her head.
"Don't worry, Tante, Aunt Patricia will never leave this country withoutyou."
Mrs. Burton, who had been glancing into the flames which flickered in asmall open fire, now looked up.
"Really, Alice and Vera, I am glad you have done what Aunt Patriciawished, although at first I confess I was hurt and angry. If she needsyou, you must fill her life as completely as you can. I don't agreewith Sally, much as I would like to. Aunt Patricia is singularlyunforgiving and must have lost all affection for me. You'll stay tolunch with us. You and Bettina have not had a moment's conversation andshe has a great deal to tell you. I'll go and see about things."
After the Camp Fire guardian had disappeared from the room, BettinaGraham slipped into her place beside Sally.
"Do come and sit close to us in a Camp Fire square, if not a Camp Firecircle," Bettina urged. "If you girls only knew how glad I am to seeyou and how your being here in New York makes me more than ever anxiousto do what I have been planning! You know how I always have hated theidea of making my debut in society. Well, as the ordeal has drawnnearer, I have found myself hating the possibility more than ever. Thissummer while we were at our new home, that we call 'The House by theBlue Lagoon,' I at last made up my mind what I really wish to do. Iwant to devote my life to social work and to begin by studying socialsettlement work in New York this winter."
Sally Ashton sighed.
"Oh, dear, how did I ever wander into so serious a Camp Fire group? Isthere no one of the Sunrise girls who does not wish for a career saveme? Of course there are Peggy and Gerry, but they already have chosenmatrimony as their careers."
"Do be quiet, Sally. What a perfectly delightful idea, Bettina dear!Why can't you spend the winter with us? We have another small bed-roomin our apartment and I am sure Aunt Patricia will be delighted to haveyou with us," Alice Ashton urged.
Bettina shook her head.
"No such good fortune, Alice! Mother is entirely opposed to my wish andinsists upon my following her desire for me. I ran away to New York totry to persuade Tante to use her influence with mother to permit me todo what I like, but I find she takes mother's point of view altogether.We were discussing the subject when you came in and she had just told meshe thought it would be selfish and inconsiderate of me to argue thematter any further. So I suppose I must go back to Washington and be awallflower all winter.
"I forgot to tell you that Elce, our little Lancashire girl, is herewith me. She was ill at school and sent to me, as no one seemed able tofind anything the matter, save that she was so homesick and miserable.Now something has to be done for her and with her and I am so glad tohave the opportunity to ask your advice. I am afraid that to send herto another boarding school would be to have the same thing occur, andyet she must have some education. She cares for nothing save her musicand the outdoors and was perfectly well and happy when she was withmother and me last summer."
A moment the three girls remained silent, then Sally answered.
"If you and Tante think it wise and Alice and Vera and Aunt Patricia arewilling, why not have Elce come and live with us this winter? I knowshe would rather be with you, Bettina, but if you are to be introducedinto society in Washington, you will scarcely be able to give any timeto her. Besides, your mother may not wish to have her. Elce can go toschool in New York and I'll look after her otherwise. Perhaps this isnot the best thing for her, but it is the only solution I can suggest.She won't be so homesick with us as at boarding school and she will havegreater freedom, then I shall like to feel that I am doing somethinguseful."
"Good gracious, Sally, isn't making a home for Alice and me beinguseful?" Vera remonstrated. "I am sorry if I seemed cross a few momentsago; this was largely because you were in the right and Alice and I didnot enjoy our position."
Before any one could reply there was a knock at the door and anothergirl entered.
"Mrs. Burton says that luncheon is ready if you will be kind enough tocome in. I am going to ask you not to stay long afterwards; Mrs. Burtonwould not mention it I am sure, but she is supposed to lie down everyafternoon for a short rest."
As the four Camp Fire girls followed Juliet Temple out of the room,Sally managed to whisper to Bettina:
"What is there about Juliet Temple that is so annoying? That littlespeech she just made is the kind of thing that makes me especiallyangry, as if she were far more intimate with Tante and more devoted toher welfare than any of her Camp Fire girls? I suppose she is devotedto her and certainly she makes herself useful and yet I never feel sureof her. In my opinion she represents one of the causes of AuntPatricia's estrangement."
Bettina shook her head.
"I feel a good deal as you do, Sally, although I am not even soconfident of the reason. Sometimes I think you are a better judge ofcharacter than any of the rest of us, so if you have an opportunity thiswinter I wish you would study Juliet Temple and find out what you can.Is she really devoted to Tante, or is she only devoted to her for whatshe thinks she can gain? Come, we must not keep luncheon waiting and Iwant you to see Elce. Suppose we talk to her of your proposal."