*CHAPTER VII*
*THE APARTMENT*
The sitting-room was scrupulously clean. The Camp Fire candles,representing work, health and love were on the mantel, but unlighted; asmall fire was burning in the grate.
At one side stood a tea table with the arrangements for tea-cups andsaucers, the tea kettle and alcohol lamp. At the moment the room wasempty.
Then a door swung open and a girl entered wearing a ceremonial Camp Firecostume, her strings of honor beads and insignia of the highest rank,but over her dress a blue apron which came up to her throat and down toher ankles.
Her hair was carefully arranged, parted at one side and drawn smoothlydown, yet little tendrils of brown hair had escaped and her face waswarmly Hushed.
Seating herself in a low chair she extended her feet toward the smallblaze.
"The girls are late this afternoon, just because there was a particularreason why they should be early," she remarked in a maternal tone ofvoice, a little absurd in view of her appearance.
During the past few months Sally Ashton had been presiding over thesmall apartment in New York which sheltered a group of the Sunrise CampFire girls.
Getting up, she now walked over toward the window. In the distance onecould catch a glimpse of the Columbia College buildings and in anotherdirection the dome of the great, unfinished Cathedral. The winterafternoon was clear and cold.
Returning to her former place, after a glance at the clock, Sally drew aletter from the pocket of her blouse and began reading it. This musthave been a second or third reading since the envelope had disappeared.
Nevertheless, the letter plainly occasioned her no happiness, for shefrowned, bit her lips and looked as if only a severe determinationagainst any display of weakness saved her from tears.
"I have not heard from Dan Webster in a month. Now he has written meexactly one page which says nothing at all except that he is so busy andso tired at the end of each day that any letter he could write wouldonly bore me. He is kind enough to hope we may meet in the spring inthe 'House by the Blue Lagoon.' And this when I was foolish enough tothink that Dan actually cared for me when we were together last winter!"
"I do wish I were not one of the persons who cares for only a fewpeople! No one understands, or believes this of me, save Tante, and sheis too busy this winter to be disturbed by Camp Fire confidences, eventhough she remains our guardian. I wonder if she will be here thisafternoon? As for Dan, I suppose I must stop thinking of him in spiteof the fact that we are such old friends."
There was a little sound of a key scraping in a lock. Thrusting herletter inside her pocket, Sally arose hastily.
"Sally, are we first to return home?" Bettina Graham's voice inquired."I was delayed at the Neighborhood House a quarter of an hour longerthan usual. Then I had to make a special effort to persuade thechildren to allow Elce to come with me. We had been having a lecture onbirds and she attempting to reproduce certain of the bird sounds and toteach them to the other children. I wish you had been with us. Youhave not been lonely?" Bettina observed an unaccustomed expression onthe other girl's face.
As if slightly annoyed by the suggestion, Sally shook her head.
"No, certainly not; I am never lonely, I have had everything arrangedfor our Camp Fire meeting and for tea afterwards for so long that I amtired waiting."
"Very well, Elce and I will change into our Camp Fire costumes and bewith you in a few moments. I am surprised Vera and Alice are so late!I hoped Tante and Juliet Temple would have arrived. By the way, Sally,what do you think of admitting Juliet into our Sunrise Camp Fire? Wehave known her so many months that I am convinced she and Tante mustboth expect it, although they have not said so definitely. If we have anopportunity before they arrive, suppose we discuss the question."
Bettina Graham's conversation had been continued from inside her ownbedroom, with the door opening into the sitting-room which adjoined it.In fact the six-room apartment the Sunrise Camp Fire girls were sharingfor the winter, was so built that the three bedrooms and kitchen openedinto a single large room. This served as their dining-room,sitting-room and reception room. A small room, apart from the others,Miss Patricia Lord's room, could be used as a study the greater portionof the time, since Miss Patricia was rarely in New York.
Only twice in the last few months had she appeared unexpectedly.Confessing herself as satisfied with the life the girls were leading andthe work they were accomplishing, almost immediately she had returned toher home near Boston, never at any time mentioning Mrs. Burton's name,even to make an inquiry concerning her health.
The little apartment was comfortable. There were no signs of the wealthand luxury with which in the past, during the periods when theirguardian was with them, Miss Patricia had surrounded the Sunrise CampFire. This, Miss Patricia explained, was due to two reasons. Theerection of a home for French war orphans in one of the devastatedregions of France was absorbing more of her capital than she hadanticipated; moreover, she wished the girls to live simply and to resistthe temptation of the worldliness of the city she professed to abhor.
The front door of the little apartment now opened a second time.Carrying several books under her arm and a package in her hand, Veraentered.
"Sorry to have been delayed, Sally, but I had to go several placesbefore I could find the kind of cake you said you wished for tea. Iwanted to help you get things ready; you seem to do so much more workthese days than the rest of us in spite of our classes and Bettina'ssocial settlement."
"You are not the last, Vera. Where is Alice? I thought you would comehome together."
Vera smiled; there was a unique quality in her appearance which made herinteresting always, even if she were handsome to only a few persons. Inher large eyes with their heavy lashes, her wide mouth and irregularnose there was a charm of character and intelligence more marked thanconventional beauty.
"Alice and I said farewell half an hour ago and she was to hurry home.I saw her stop to speak to her cousin, Philip Stead, for a moment and Isuppose they have not been able to separate. Dear me, I hoped thatAlice and I were to remain eternal friends without masculineinterference, but these last few weeks Alice is failing me! She insiststhat she is only friendly with Philip Stead because he is her cousin anda stranger in New York, and lonely."
"Never mind, Vera, you may have me to take Alice's place. I shall neverdesert you. I am through with all masculine friendships forever,besides their being through with me!" Sally Ashton returned, thinking ofthe letter she had just finished re-reading. At the same time sheextended her hand for the package.
"Thanks for the cake, but I did find time to make the kind Tantespecially likes! However, we will manage to get through with both. Yougirls are becoming so learned as college students that I try to cling tothe few useful feminine arts which represent my only talents."
"And the greatest of us is Sally!" Bettina Graham exclaimed, coming intothe sitting-room, clad in her Camp Fire costume. "There is Alice at thedoor. Suppose we light our candles and begin our Camp Fire meeting,while she slips into her Camp Fire dress. Tante told us not to awaither arrival. She is too uncertain of coming. And besides I hope we mayhave an opportunity to discuss the addition of Juliet Temple to ourSunrise Camp Fire club. We have had this in mind for some time. Is itour duty to add to our old group now so many of the original group havevanished? Juliet Temple has lived in the same house with us and is atpresent living with our Camp Fire guardian, so she seems the mostnatural person to invite."
A few moments later, when the business had been disposed of, AliceAshton, continuing the subject Bettina had introduced, said slowly, withthe seriousness characteristic of her:
"I feel as you girls do about Juliet Temple. I never have really likedher, although it would be difficult to say why. Perhaps it is becauseshe has been so reticent about her past history and revealed so littleinterest in us. I feel that she does not especially desire
to become amember of our Sunrise Camp Fire. She only wishes it because Tantewishes it and is our guardian. Possibly you girls may not agree withme, but now and then I have been afraid that my own distrust is largelyjealousy. Juliet seems to have been able to make herself useful toTante in ways none of us has succeeded in doing. Of late she dependsupon her for a great variety of things."
Sally Ashton smiled.
"Good old Alice, of course we realize that we are jealous of JulietTemple! Are you actually only beginning to be conscious of the fact?Now I for one am in favor of asking her to become one of our Camp Firegirls for certain reasons I do not care to divulge at present. As I ammore candid than the rest of you, besides having a less agreeabledisposition, I want to say frankly that I shall be glad when for anycause Juliet and Tante separate. Aunt Patricia has always disliked herand believes she has interfered with their devoted relation. I think sheremains one of the reasons why Aunt Patricia refuses to be even friendlywith Tante, when she is eating her heart out with loneliness and hurtpride. But goodness, there is the door bell and doubtless Juliet isoutside! A reflection on our Camp Fire to be caught gossiping! Now ifTante suggests our inviting Juliet Temple to join our Sunrise Camp Firegroup, and if Juliet wishes it and can pass the requisite tests, I seeno reason we can offer for not including her. For a good many reasons Ithink it may be wiser to learn to know her better. Please put fresh woodon the fire, I'll open the door."
The following moment the Camp Fire guardian entered the room, followedby Sally Ashton, Juliet Temple and a third girl.