CHAPTER III "HILL TOP"
"I guess perhaps I can manage it, Miss Ford; since it's you who asks it,"replied the man, smiling admiringly down at the pretty face upturned tohis.
"Thanks, a heap! We'll be waiting right here for it. Now," turning toPatricia and leading her over to the three girls she had just left, "Iwant you to meet some of my friends. They're all Arnold Hall girls. Thisis Lucile Evans," stopping in front of a slight, pale-faced girl whosered lips protruded in a pout, which, Patricia later learned, wasperpetual. Without a change of expression, she bowed rather indifferentlyat Patricia.
"I'm Jane Temple," announced the second girl, advancing cordially as ifto make up for Lucile's rudeness.
As Patricia took Jane's hand and looked into a pair of honest grey eyes,and at the good-humored smiling lips, she felt that here was a girl towhom one could always tie in any emergency.
"The last of this trio is Hazel Leland," continued Anne; "our beauty."
"Now, Anne, don't embarrass me," protested the girl, smiling gayly atPatricia.
She _was_ a beauty; big, starry grey eyes; lovely, light brown hair whichcurled all over her head in little rings, like a baby's; and a figure asslight and lithe as a boy's.
"The newcomer in our midst," concluded Anne, putting her arm aroundPatricia, "is Patricia Randall, formerly of Brentwood, now a member ofthe illustrious Sophomore class of Granard; and, what's more, an inmateof Arnold Hall."
"Good for you!" ejaculated Hazel, patting Patricia on the back, while theother two girls shot surprised, inquiring glances at Anne, who pretendednot to see them.
"Why don't we go on up?" drawled Lucile, opening her mouth for the firsttime.
"Going to wait for Patricia's bag," replied Anne quickly.
"Oh," was Lucile's brief response; but some way there was an unpleasantnote in it, which made Patricia flush uncomfortably.
"There's no need of my detaining you all," she said. "I can wait bymyself."
"Now, darling," protested Anne, "we'd never be so unhospitable to a newmember of our household as that. You needn't wait if you prefer not to,Lu."
Without another word, Lucile picked up her bag and started haughtily upthe steep hill.
"What's the matter with her?" asked Anne, watching the blue-coated figureascending the slope as rapidly as possible.
"Don't know," replied Jane. "She's been out of sorts all day."
"Oh, she met some youth last night who was coming down here on the twoo'clock bus today," said Hazel quickly; "and when he didn't, show up, Lugot peeved."
"She usually isn't sufficiently interested in men to care whether or notone breaks a date," said Jane.
"My dear," replied Hazel, "she probably wants something of him. Lu's thelimit," she continued, turning to Patricia, "for getting just what shewants without lifting a finger. Everybody waits on her, and she sits backand accepts service like a queen."
"You mustn't give Lu a bad reputation," said Jane reprovingly. "She's nota bad kid when you get to know her."
"No, not bad," agreed Hazel, "but--as selfish as they're made."
"Look!" cried Anne, pointing excitedly to the top of the hill.
There against the green background stood the blue-coated object of theirdiscussion, and a grey-clad masculine figure with yellow hair.
"The boy friend at last!" exclaimed Hazel. "He must have been waiting forher at 'Hill Top.'"
"Well, I only hope that he treats her to something real sweet," laughedJane. "'Hill Top,'" she added, addressing herself to Patricia who wasgazing apprehensively at the couple, "is a little tea room up there."
The youth was the young man who was the object of her caresses on thetrain, and Patricia flushed hotly to think what a story he'd have to tellLucile if he chose, and what fun they'd all make of her. She glanced atAnne, but that young lady displayed no signs of ever having seen the manbefore.
"Let's go up and have a soda, or something," proposed Hazel, looking ather watch. "Plenty of time before Mike gets back. Our stuff will be allright in the corner over there."
Patricia opened her mouth to refuse, although she _was_ hungry; but whenthe other girls hailed the suggestion with glee, she closed it againwithout voicing her objections, and followed them silently up the hill.Almost on the edge perched a small grey house with lavender shutters, andon its long, screened porch stood a grey, weather-beaten spinning wheeland a lavender table.
"Let's eat out here," proposed Anne, leading the way to the end of theporch.
Patricia could have hugged her; for she didn't want to go in and meet herfellow traveler. He might even think she was following him up.
"O. K.," agreed Hazel, slipping into a chair. "You go in and get awaitress, Nanny. I'm starved."
"So am I," replied Anne. "There was no diner on the train, and allPatricia and I had was some sweet chocolate."
"I'm not so hungry--" began Jane.
"_You_ are not hungry! Did I hear aright?" asked Hazel. "That girl canalways eat," she added, to Patricia.
"Well, you see I got pretty well fed up at home during the summer, butjust wait until I've been here a couple of weeks, and I'll get back to myold habits."
"The meals at Horton Hall are the limit," said Hazel, "as you'll find toyour sorrow, Patricia. We spend all our spare change, and some we can'twell spare, at the various tea rooms around College Hill."
"What shall we have?" asked Anne, returning at that moment, followed by awaitress, and sitting down opposite Hazel. "This is on me, to celebratePatricia's coming."
"Chicken patty, French pastry, and iced tea," replied Hazel promptly.
"Waffles, maple syrup, and ice cream," said Jane.
"How terrible! Think of your 'figger,' darling. You've put on about tenpounds this summer," teased Hazel.
"I'll take shrimp salad, Danish pastry, and pineapple sherbet," saidPatricia, when Anne looked at her.
"Chicken sandwiches, brownies, and ginger ale for me," said Anne,completing the order. As the waitress disappeared, she leaned both elbowson the table and announced in low tones, "They're not in the dining room,but Lu's bag is in the hall."
"Perhaps they're out in the coffee room," suggested Hazel. "I'll go andsee."
"Don't," objected Jane quickly. "We don't want them to think we're spyingon them."
"Even if we are," laughed Anne. "Maybe they'll come out while we're stillhere; and, in the meantime, let's eat."
Lunch took much longer than they had anticipated, and when Patricia,suddenly remembering her bag, glanced at her watch, she was surprised tofind that the hands pointed at 3:30.
"Girls!" she cried, pushing back her chair and getting up so quickly thatHazel jumped. "It's half past three."
"Go on," said Anne. "I'll settle the bill and catch up to you."
The other three hurried down the hill, and when Anne caught up to them atthe foot, Patricia was pointing in speechless dismay at a grey busrounding the curve toward Mendon. "It's gone!" she wailed.
"Maybe Mike left your bag in the shelter," suggested Jane comfortingly."Let's go and see."
A thorough search revealed no trace of the missing bag, either inside ofthe shelter or out; and Patricia bemoaned the carelessness which had, asecond time that day, betrayed her.
"Just wait until I see Mike!" stormed Anne. "He should have had senseenough to leave it, even if we were not right on the spot."
"Especially when ours are here," agreed Hazel.
"What we do with our own is entirely up to us," said Jane slowly. "IfMike had orders to put the bag in its owner's hands, he couldn't verywell do otherwise. Suppose we go on up and telephone the terminal to seewhat can be done about it."
"Good idea! All right with you, Pat?" asked Hazel. Then, as Patricianodded, "Let's get going!"
"Don't worry," advised Anne. "You'll get it some way; and if not tonight,we can manage between us all to fit you out. We're used to that; aren'twe?"
"I'll say so," replied Jane.
"Why, Hazel, here, went to a dance lastwinter in a dress Mrs. Vincent lent her. That's our chaperon; and as faras borrowing and lending go, she's surely one of us."
Just as they reached the top of the hill again, Lucile sauntered down thetea-room steps alone.
"Where's the boy friend, Lu?" called Hazel.
"I don't know what you're talking about," replied Lucile haughtily, asshe joined them.
"Don't try to bluff," ordered Hazel; "we all saw him meet you."
"That's one on you," scoffed Lucile. "He stopped to ask me the way toArnold Hall."
"Arnold Hall!" chorused the others. "What in the name of fortune does hewant there?"
"Don't you wish you knew?" jeered Lucile.
"Is she putting something over on us? Where do you suppose he went?"whispered Hazel to Jane, but the latter only shrugged her shoulders.
"Shall I telephone the terminal?" inquired Anne, when they came to thelittle building which served as post office for the college.
"I wish you would," replied Patricia gratefully; "you'll know better whatto say."
"I'm going on," announced Lucile, as they paused to wait for Anne.
"Go to it!" retorted Hazel. "Look, Pat, that red brick building on thecorner is Horton Hall, the dorm for the music students. In the basementis the college dining room, where each dorm has a certain section. Overthere, across the street, that grey building with all the steps is theauditorium, where the entertainments and meetings are held."
"What did they say, Anne?" interrupted Jane, as Anne rejoined them.
"I talked to Mike himself. His sub was on the earlier bus, and he wasafraid to leave the bag, since there was no one to take it. Mike willbring it out on his next run. I told him to give it to anybody who wascoming up to the college; then we won't have to go down for it. There'llbe heaps of students on the last bus, and Mike knows most of them. Allright, Pat?" as the girl looked a bit doubtful.
"Surely," she replied; but way down deep in her heart she felt that shewould be much happier when her property was once more safe in her ownhands. "But it serves me right for being so careless," she thought, withcharacteristic honesty.
"Come on," urged Hazel. "I'm crazy to get to the Hall."
Much to Patricia's surprise they turned away from the college buildingsand down a side street. "Where are we going?" she finally asked.
"To Arnold Hall, of course," replied Jane. "Oh, I forgot that you didn'tknow where it was. You see, all the dorms, frat and sorority houses areon streets fairly near the college, but not right on the campus."
"I should think you'd all be dead, climbing these hills," commentedPatricia, as they started up Wentworth Street.
"The whole town is built on hills, and the college is on the highest one;but you'll get used to them."
When they went up a brick walk leading to a big three-story house nearthe end of the street, Patricia felt a queer thrill of excitement andapprehension as she gazed up at the house which was to be her home for awhole year. What joys and sorrows would come to her there? Could she makegood? Would her unknown benefactor reveal his or her identity before theyear was out? Would she be coming back here this time next fall? Evennow, the very idea of Anne and Jane returning next September without herbrought a queer lump into her throat.
"I'm just nervous," she reflected. "I must not think of the future atall."
Determinedly she shook off her apprehensions, and followed the othergirls into the house.