CHAPTER XXIII SOLUTIONS
The girls of Granard College had finished Monday night's dessert ofchocolate blanc mange, and were restlessly waiting for the signal toleave the dining room, when Clarice, who was sitting at the end of theArnold Hall table, rose quietly and stood facing her companions.
"I've got something to say, girls," she began abruptly, her big blackeyes turned on one after another of the members of the Alley Gang, andcoming to rest on Patricia. "Last Thursday night I stayed out after hourswithout permission. Accidentally Pat found it out--also, what I didn'tknow at the time, that if I got another demerit I'd be dropped fromcollege. Like the good sport she is, she occupied my bed until afterinspection that night. You all know what a jam she got into, but I was sodumb that I didn't put two and two together until last night." Clarice'sfixed gaze here shifted from Patricia's flushed face to Anne's. Thefriendly smile which flashed to her from Anne's red lips made her falterfor a moment. Quickly, however, she recovered her poise, and continued."I've seen the Dean, and explained the whole affair to her; as well as toMrs. Vincent. And, Pat's slate is clean."
Clarice turned from the table, and before the astonished girls couldmove, had darted out of a side door which was directly behind her. Thenpandemonium broke loose.
"Three cheers for Clarice and Pat!" cried Katharine, waving her armsexcitedly.
An immediate and hearty response centered the attention of the entiredining room upon the Arnold Hall table; and as the girls left thebuilding they were besieged by the other students to know the cause ofthe demonstration.
Although examinations loomed in the near future, no one could study inArnold Hall that evening; everyone was too excited, and too happy, tosettle down. The members of the Alley Gang roamed restlessly in and outof one another's rooms, talking incessantly, while sampling the "eats"which had arrived in several boxes from home that day. Patricia hadmanaged to get Clarice for a few moments alone in order to say somethings which couldn't be said in public.
"Please don't, Pat," protested the other girl. "I'm so far in debt to youthat--"
"But, Clarice," interrupted Patricia, putting her hand forcibly over herfriend's mouth to check further talk about indebtedness, "I want to knowhow things stand with you. You won't be dropped?"
"No, everything's all right. The Dean was lovely, and from now on I'mgoing to make good."
"I'm so glad," began Patricia, "and I know that you can."
Just then Anne appeared, and announced that Rhoda had a telephone messagefor Patricia.
Sliding off the porch railing, on which they had been perched, the twogirls followed Anne into the house.
"Mrs. Brock would like you to come right over, Miss Randall," said Rhoda,when the trio presented themselves before the Black Book table where themaid was sitting.
"How exciting!" cried Anne. "What do you think she wants?"
"I'll have to go and find out, I suppose," sighed Patricia wearily. Thestrain of the week was beginning to tell on even her sturdy constitution,and she longed to go to bed.
"Come back as soon as you can," begged Anne, going as far as the doorwith her, "and tell us all about it. We won't have many more talkfests."
"No; and it makes me just _sick_ to think of leaving here the last ofnext week," whispered Patricia sadly, dashing away a couple of tears.
"Never mind, old dear," said Anne. "Maybe something will turn up to bringyou back next fall."
When the maid at Big House ushered Patricia onto a large screened porch,she was astonished to see Jack sitting beside a lamp whose soft lightilluminated the entire veranda. After brief greetings had been exchanged,Mrs. Brock said abruptly:
"I have a story to tell you children."
Her visitors exchanged amused glances over the appellation.
"I'll make it brief; for I know that the reminiscences of old people borethe young. When I was a girl, about your age, I had two very dear chums:one was Mary Pierce."
Patricia leaned eagerly forward in her chair at the sound of her mother'smaiden name, but Mrs. Brock continued without appearing to notice thegirl's surprise.
"The other," she went on, "was Gertrude Neal."
Here Jack started up in astonishment, as he, too, recognized the name ofhis mother. Again Mrs. Brock went on without a pause.
"That surprises you, for I seem much older than your mothers. As a matterof fact, I _was_ several years older than the other girls, and a longillness a few years ago makes me appear much more ancient than I reallyam. But to go on with my story. We were very congenial, and almostinseparable." A smile at some memory flickered across the woman's face,completely transforming the immobile features with which her listenerswere familiar. A look of regret and sadness almost immediately replacedthe smile, as she continued:
"Unfortunately, it was too happy a friendship to last. We had a seriousmisunderstanding, in which I was mostly to blame. In fact the affair wasthe cause of considerable injustice being suffered by Mary and Gertrude.I'm not going into details--it's over now, and they probably forgot allabout it; but anyhow, we separated, and I have never seen either of themsince. An aunt took me abroad, and one thing or another detained me thereuntil last year. My return revived old memories and affections; yet mypride kept me from going directly to my friends. I felt, however, that Iwanted to do something to make up, at least in part, for the trouble Ihad caused; so I decided to make you children a little gift and at thesame time find out what you were like. I bought Big House because it waslocated so close to the college my father attended, then sent you themoney for the year's expenses.
"Rhoda, my secretary and companion, I managed to place in Arnold Hall asa maid, so she could give me all kinds of information about Patricia; andI hired a private detective, Norman Young, to do my secretarial work andat the same time spy on Jack. The game is played out now, and I hope theyear has been as satisfactory to you as it has to me. Wait a minute," asPatricia again tried to speak. "I have an offer to make. I'm going to geta car; for I find I cannot walk as much as I used to; and if Jack caresto take the position as chauffeur in return for his next year's collegeexpenses, I fancy we can come to a satisfactory agreement. The hourswould not interfere at all with college work, and," she paused and lookedquestioningly at the boy, "you won't have to live with me."
"Mrs. Brock, I don't know what to say, except to thank you for all yourkindness to me, and to accept gratefully your most generous offer. I--"
"All right then; that's settled," interrupted Mrs. Brock, turning towardPatricia. "I need someone to look after my library and read to me. If youcould fit that work in with your college duties, I shall be responsiblefor _your_ next year's expenses. Of course you'll live at Arnold Hall."
"Mrs. Brock," began Patricia; then much to everyone's distress she burstinto tears. "If you only knew," she sobbed, "how much I wanted to comeback here, and how afraid I have been that I couldn't--"
"Then I'll expect you both to report here on September 20," interruptedMrs. Brock, "four days before college opens. Don't try to tell me howgrateful you are. I guess I know. Good night."
Patricia kissed the white face of the little woman, and Jack followed herexample. Neither spoke until they were out on the street.
"Some fairy godmother!" exclaimed Jack.
"Oh, Jack, isn't she wonderful?"
"And the best of all," said Jack, "is that we'll be here together again.You've become a sort of habit with me, I guess."
Patricia smiled happily in the darkness. "And now," she exulted as theyreached Arnold Hall, "I must go in and tell the girls the joyful news."
The End
Transcriber's Notes
--Preserved the copyright notice from the printed edition, although this book is in the public domain in the country of publication.
--Silently corrected a few typos (but left nonstandard spelling and dialect as is).
--Rearranged front matter
to a more-logical streaming order and added a Table of Contents.
--In the text versions, delimited text in italics by _underscores_.
The Mystery of Arnold Hall Page 23