Elizabeth Hobart at Exeter Hall Part 13

The letters from home came at their usual times, but neither her father nor mother mentioned the trouble at the mines. Elizabeth, believing that no news was good news, took it for granted that the difficulty had been amicably settled.

A week later, in company with Mary Wilson, she set forth to visit Mrs.

Gleason. From Exeter to Gleasonton is only an hour's ride. At the station, they found a sleigh with a coachman and footman waiting to convey them to Senator Gleason's home.

"It is the prettiest place in summer," said Mary, as they went flying over the snow-packed roads. "Everything is so beautiful that you can really believe it is fairyland."

On their way, they pa.s.sed several stately country residences, closed for the winter. Then came acres and acres of bark-sheds filled with bark for the tanneries; then the tanneries themselves. Then, at a distance, upon the brow of the hill were seen the stone walls of Senator Gleason's home.

"Isn't it beautiful?" whispered Elizabeth, as though should she speak aloud the spell would be broken, and the place, like Aladdin's palace, vanish in the air.

"Wait until you see it in summer, with all the vines and beautiful trees,"

was the response.

They turned into the driveway, and in a few minutes were brought to the front entrance. At the sound of the bells, the door opened and Senator Gleason appeared, smiling and affable, to welcome them, and following him was his wife.

Elizabeth gave a start of surprise. Although more richly dressed than when she had seen her before, Elizabeth recognized in her the plain little woman with whom she had eaten lunch on her journey to Exeter.

CHAPTER VII.

DEFYING THE POWERS.

Both Fraulein Kronenberg and Dr. Kitch.e.l.l announced tests for the week before the Christmas holidays. The Seniors and Middlers arose early and stayed up late to study. The hour for physical exercise was cut as short as Miss Brosins would permit. There was little time for anything that was purely social. There was no lingering in the hall after meals for chats.

Carrie Hirsch was the only one who had leisure after Miss Kronenberg's announcement. She laughed as the girls hurried back to their rooms.

"German is not so hard," she explained. "What one thinks one must say--so simple are the words. Not at all can I understand why they all look so like a frown because Fraulein Kronenberg gives them but one little story to write in the German."

"Suppose Miss Berard should give you a simple little story to write in English," returned Mary Wilson. "Wouldn't you look like a frown, too?"

Miss Hirsch shrugged her shoulders. "It is true you speak; but English is so different."

Elizabeth felt the excitement attendant upon an examination. Had she paused long enough to a.n.a.lyse her feelings, she would have discovered that she had no fear of failing. She had read German with Miss Hale since she was old enough to read. The Middlers' work in German had been to her like an old tale, oft repeated. But the att.i.tude of the other students and the novelty of an examination made her nervous. She was hurrying back to her room one morning when Anna Cresswell stopped her.

"You have the next period vacant?" she asked.

"Yes, but Wednesday is the German exams and I have been putting in this hour cramming for them."

"Then I'll do you a good turn by taking you away from them. Come, let us take a turn up and down the campus. We'll walk fast enough to keep warm.

There is something about which I wish to talk to you."

Half-reluctantly, Elizabeth went with her.

"I feel as though I had been neglecting my work in regard to you," began Miss Cresswell, as they crossed the campus. She tucked Elizabeth's arm under her own. Elizabeth felt that something confidential was forthcoming.

She was yet unused to the friendship of girls and any act on their part out of the ordinary made her feel shy and awkward.

"But you were with Mary Wilson, so I knew you were in good hands, although I should have come to you at once. But we had so many new girls this semester that I could not get around sooner. I'm president of the Young Woman's Christian a.s.sociation at Exeter, you know?"

"Yes; or at least, I suppose so. I have always attended with Mary. You preside, so I took it for granted that you are president."

"It was the public meetings you attended. We have some private conferences where no one is present but active members. We do this that we may talk over the needs of some special student, and act accordingly. Of course, we can not publicly diagnose such cases."

"Yes?" said Elizabeth, feeling that Miss Cresswell had paused to give her an opportunity to reply.

"Part of our work is to interview each new student; to ask them to join us in active Christian work. We need you in the a.s.sociation and I believe you will find, after you join us, that you have been needing us."

"Perhaps so. There can be no doubt of the latter, but as to helping you, I am afraid I couldn't do that. Not that I am not willing, but I do not believe I am capable of it."

"We'll risk that," with a smile. "I'm confident that you can do much. The mere coming out and announcing yourself as a member of a band of Christian workers will have a good influence."

"Perhaps it will. To be frank with you, Miss Cresswell, I've never thought about such a thing. At home I studied a great deal, helped mother some, and rode about the country hunting flowers with Miss Hale. I never gave a thought to the matters that you talk of."

"Then you are not a Christian?" The question was asked in surprise.

The girl looked with a puzzled expression into the serious face of her companion. Then she spoke slowly, as though the idea was for the first time presented to her.

"I do not know. I--never--really thought anything at all about it. You see it was just this way at home, Miss Cresswell. My father and mother with Miss Hale were all the friends I had. We could not go to church; the miners are foreigners, and when a priest was sent to them for services, he spoke Polish, or Slav, or Russian, so there was little use of our going.

Miss Hale had a Mission Sabbath School for the younger people. I asked once to help her. She refused for some reason. She did not tell me why. At home, we read our Bible and have family prayers. Mother taught me a great deal, and I committed a great deal to memory; but as to my being a Christian, I never really thought of it before."

"Then let us think about it now," was the response. She drew Elizabeth's arm closer within her own. Slowly they retraced their steps from the dormitory door to the end of the campus walk, Miss Cresswell talking earnestly all the while. She spoke well on her subject; she believed what she said; and she was honest and simple-minded in her efforts to present these truths to Elizabeth's mind.

The hour pa.s.sed quickly. With a start of surprise, they heard the bells for the dismissal of cla.s.ses.

"Is it possible? I did not think the time was half gone. We must hurry.

You will think on this matter, Elizabeth?"

"Yes; I will think of it. I can't promise more. It seems so serious. I do not wish to undertake anything without being sure of what I really think and am."

They parted at the door, Miss Cresswell hurrying off to Dr. Kitch.e.l.l's cla.s.s-room, while Elizabeth, with tardy step and disturbed mind, went to recite to Miss Brosius.

The same evening Elizabeth accompanied her roommate to a special meeting of the Young Woman's Christian a.s.sociation. It had become a custom of the school to hold such meetings before the tests began, but Elizabeth, not knowing this, was wholly ignorant of the object of the meeting.

Miss Cresswell as president went through the preliminaries of calling the a.s.sociation to order. She was tactful and discreet. Landis, to whom public speaking was a coveted opportunity, immediately arose and moved forward to the front of the room where she could face her audience. She carried her head and shoulders unusually erect. Her clear, decisive manner of speaking indicated that she believed the mere stating of her opinion on the subject would forever settle it in the minds of her hearers.

"I regret," she began, "to make such a statement before the new students at Exeter lest they form a bad opinion of us in general. But at Exeter Hall, as in other schools, all pupils do not have the same ideals and views of what is right and wrong. It often happens, and has happened here within our knowledge, that a student who would scorn to take any property which was not hers, has taken another's ability, has actually copied work and handed it in as her own. This has happened and may happen again. So we," the speaker so placed her emphasis that "we" became the dominant spirit of the school, "determined to do as we did last year,--call together the members of the a.s.sociation to take means to prevent a growth of the spirit of deception."

Landis walked back to her place. Her manner had been forcible and had impressed many.

The president asked for expressions of opinions from the members. The remarks were not slow in coming. Immediately a half-dozen girls were upon their feet demanding recognition.

Mame Welch in her droll, half-humorous way was the first to speak.

"I do not see why we should trouble ourselves because from one to a half-dozen girls among several hundred see fit to copy and carry 'ponies'

into cla.s.s. If they are satisfied, let them do it."

"But, oh," cried Carrie Hirsch, not waiting for permission to speak. "It is not fair. It may be so, one girl must hard work; another girl, work not hard. Yet one mark, oh, so high," she raised her hands to express how high the grades of the delinquent might be, "because into exams she carry papers, or from her friend's paper she learn all she wishes to write."

The other members could not suppress a smile as Carrie talked. She was so entirely in earnest, so carried away by her own enthusiasm, and so badly mixed in her English.