CHAPTER XVII
THE QUARREL
There was a secret club among the girls at Three Towers Hall, and onlythe students who stood first in their classes could be admitted to thechosen circle.
Also the girls who were lucky enough to be elected to the "Ghost Club,"for that was what the society was called, must be popular among theirfellow students. There was an unwritten law that membership in the clubshould not exceed fifteen.
Rose Belser was president of the club, while Connie Danvers and severalof the other girls with whom Billie and her chums were on the best ofterms, were fellow members. Caroline Brant had been asked to join buthad refused on the ground that the club took too much time from herstudies. It was a compliment to Caroline that, in spite of her refusal,the girls--all except Rose Belser--liked her just the same.
Billie and her chums had not been in Three Towers a week before they hadheard of the secret club--no one but the members themselves even knewthe name of it--and had realized how much all the girls longed to bemembers of it.
So when one day Connie came to Billie and whispered something in herear, it was no wonder that Billie's heart beat a little faster.
But all Connie had really said was: "We want to see you and Laura and Vioutside near the old maple tree at ten to-night. It's very important.Don't keep us waiting!"
And Billie, in a voice she tried hard to keep natural, said that theywould not keep her waiting. And when she imparted the mysterious messageto Laura and Vi they gaped at her, then pulled her down on a bench--itwas noon and they had come out for a bit of sunshine and fresh airbefore the afternoon lessons--and showered her with questions.
"But, Billie, didn't she say why she wanted to see us?" cried Laura.
"And who wanted to see us?" added Vi.
"I've told you just exactly what she said," Billie answered a littleimpatiently, while her eyes shone with excitement. "She said it was veryimportant and not to keep them waiting."
"I bet I know what it is," said Laura, almost afraid to put her hopeinto words. "It's the secret society, Billie."
"The secret society!" Vi repeated in an awed voice, while two girls whowere passing paused and looked at them curiously. "Oh, Laura, itcouldn't be! Billie, do you think it is?" She looked eagerly at Billie.Then her gaze traveled on to the two curious girls who were stilllingering within earshot, and she sat up so straight that Billie andLaura looked at her in surprise. As usual the loiterers were Amanda andher "Shadow" and as they saw Vi's eyes upon them they smiledunpleasantly.
"Hello," said Amanda coming over to the girls while the "Shadow"lingered behind. The latter was not quite as bold as Amanda--nor quiteas mean. "I heard you say something about the secret society. Are youinvited?" The last words were said with such a sneer and the grin on herface was so aggravating that the girls felt their blood begin to boil.
Billie jumped to her feet and faced Amanda, both hands clenched at hersides.
"We've stood just about as much as we're going to from you, Amanda," shesaid, her eyes blazing. "You've done nothing, you and Eliza, but spyupon us ever since we came to Three Towers, and I'll tell you right nowwe're tired of it."
"Oh, you are!" said Amanda, her grin a little wider, while Laura and Vi,alarmed at what they saw was going to be a real quarrel at last, got upand stood beside Billie. Other girls who had come out on the campusgathered around them curiously. "Well, what do you think you're goingto do about it?"
"I don't know yet," said Billie, trembling with fury--for usuallygood-natured, fun-loving Billie had a whirlwind of a temper when it wasroused. "But we'll make you stop your spying and mean tricks if we haveto try your stunt and go to Miss Walters about it."
"What's this?" asked a cool pleasant voice behind them, and the girlsturned quickly to find Miss Walters looking on gravely. "What is it youwant to come to me about, Beatrice?"
But Billie turned all colors of the rainbow and stood as if strickensuddenly dumb. A minute before she had been furious. Now she was onlyashamed.
How could she explain to Miss Walters without telling about Amanda? Thatwould be telling tales, and, in spite of her threat, that was the verylast thing Billie wanted or intended to do. Beneath Miss Walters' steadygaze she hung her head.
"Come, speak up, Beatrice," Miss Walters commanded, not unkindly, for,like almost every one in Three Towers Hall, she had come to lovereckless, sweet-natured Billie, and even laughed at her pranks insecret. "I've asked you a question, and my girls are in the habit ofanswering me."
"Please," said poor Billie without looking up, "I want to answer you,Miss Walters, but I don't know how I can without t-telling tales."
"Was there a quarrel?" questioned Miss Walters, her face still grave,for she disliked that kind of thing. "If you can't tell me about itwithout telling tales," here the faintest of smiles flitted across herface, "I want you at least to tell me that you are no longer angry andthat a scene of this kind will never happen again. Here, Beatrice, shakehands with Amanda and be friends again."
Billie looked more startled at this than at anything that had happenedso far. Shake hands with Amanda? Pretend they were friends again? Why,they never had been friends! Instinctively she put her hands behind herback. Then she looked up at Miss Walters appealingly.
"Please, Miss Walters," she said, "won't it be enough, if I tell you I'msorry I made a scene and that I'll never do it again? I won't, truly Iwon't."
"Yes, that will do," answered Miss Walters, her eyes really smiling now.She was thinking that if she had had a daughter she would have liked herto be like Billie. "Only remember, I have your word that it will neverhappen again. Come now, it is almost time for afternoon class," and sheled the way back across the lawn.
The girls followed in groups of two and three while Amanda and the"Shadow" brought up the rear. There was a smile on Amanda's face, andfor the first time since she had come to Three Towers she was exultant.She had succeeded in making Billie furious, had seen her called toaccount--gently of course, altogether too gently, for "Billie was MissWalters' pet"--but called to account nevertheless and before a crowd ofher classmates. That ought to hold her for a while!
As for Billie herself, and Laura and Vi, they were desperate.
"You ought to have told Miss Walters about Amanda, Billie," Laura saidover and over again. "You shouldn't have let that little old sneak getaway with it. Did you see her smile when Miss Walters turned away? Oh,if I could only give her what I want to give her!" Laura's hands claspedand unclasped nervously as she talked and her eyes snapped.
"Yes, that's just what she was waiting for," said Vi, hardly lessfurious than Laura. "If you only hadn't answered her, Billie. Had justlooked at her with your nose in the air and turned away. That makes hermad enough to murder you."
"Oh, I know it, I know it," said Billie, still ashamed to look any onein the face. She had broken one of the rules and had been reprimandedfor it by Miss Walters in public. There was no getting over that. If ithad been one of the "Dill Pickles" she would not have minded so much.But Miss Walters!
"Never mind," Vi whispered in her ear. "Miss Walters doesn't like Amandaany more than we do, and she just scolded you because she had to. And Iknow she liked the way you refused to tell tales. I saw it in the wayshe looked at you."
At this Billie brightened and glanced up hopefully.
"Well, I'm glad if there's something she can like about me," sheanswered, and just then the gong echoing through the hall, sent themscurrying to their classes.
In the excitement of the scene with Amanda the girls had almostforgotten their mysterious engagement for ten o'clock that evening. Butwhen they did think of it again it had the effect of making them forgeteverything else.
The afternoon dragged on, evening came with supper, and then at lastthey were in the dormitory, pretending to undress with the other girls,while they really left most of their clothing on.
When everything was dark and the whole place seemingly asleep, they gotout of bed quietly, stole softly down the stairs,
and finally came outinto the moonlit night.
The old maple tree where they were to meet Connie was a magnificent oldgiant which the girls had always admired, set back a little way in thewoods.
The place had probably been picked out because nobody, happening tolook from the windows of Three Towers, would be able to see anything butshadows and waving branches.
When the girls, moving softly over twigs and branches, so as to make nonoise, finally came to the meeting place they were surprised and alittle alarmed to find no one there.
The woods were dark and silent, save for the soft murmuring of the windamong the trees.
"Nobody's here," said Vi, glancing nervously over her shoulder.
"Suppose nobody comes," whispered Laura. "Maybe it's all a joke."
"Well, if it is," said Billie with a rueful little smile, "the joke ison us."
Billie Bradley at Three Towers Hall; Or, Leading a Needed Rebellion Page 17