CHAPTER VII
IN THE DORMITORY
After a survey of several minutes of the dark and seemingly innocentroom, the guardian of school discipline seemed satisfied, closed thedoor, and her footsteps died away at the end of the hall.
If she could have heard the bursts of smothered laughter as the lightswere turned on and Laura and Bess, almost exhausted by their efforts tokeep up that steady breathing, tumbled from the bed and the others rosefrom their hiding places and shook and stretched themselves to get thecramps out of their limbs!
"That was a close call," gurgled Nan, breathless with suppressedlaughter, while Grace asked chokingly:
"How did you ever do that sleeping act so perfectly and keep it up solong?"
"Just genius," answered Laura complacently. "I got so in the spirit ofit that I came near snoring."
"Is that so?" scoffed Rhoda. "Strange that we never noticed it before."
"Live and learn," replied Laura, nonchalantly. "The explanation issimple. Just lack of perception. 'Ye have eyes and ye see not.'"
"For pity's sake, keep still, you two," said Bess. "We have too manythings to talk about to listen to repartee, even to such brilliantspecimens."
"Snubbed!" groaned Laura, as she lifted the last bonbon from the box.
"Here, greedy," said Rhoda. "I saw that candy first."
"Well, I ate it first," grinned Laura tantalizingly.
"Will you girls keep still?" cried Bess despairingly. "I want to findout what Grace is going to wear."
"Yes, sweetheart," said Rhoda meekly, as she flopped down into thenearest seat at hand. "That is really a most interesting andall-important question, and we will come to that anon. But first I wantto remark that I feel as though we had been nearly caught at a regularspread."
"Spread! Where have I heard that word before?" exclaimed Lauradramatically. "Isn't it time we had a regular one? I tell you what,girls, let's celebrate by having a real honest-to-goodness spread.There's a reason."
"As if you ever needed a reason for having a spread!" laughed Bess. "ButI second the motion."
"I'm expecting a box from home any minute," said Rhoda, "and I'll donateit to the cause."
"I'll furnish the fruit," Grace offered.
"Dandy!" exclaimed Laura. "Put me down for cocoa and milk and sugar.Will you supply the sandwiches, Nan?"
"I'm willing to furnish the sandwiches," agreed Nan, a littledoubtfully. "But do you think we'd better have it just now?"
"Oh, come on, Nan," urged Laura. "Be a sport. Isn't Grace worth achance?"
And Nan, unwilling to spoil the others' sport, assented, though withsome inward misgiving.
"Can't we go to town to-morrow after recitations, and get the things?"Bess proposed.
"O. K.," acquiesced Laura contentedly. "And now to return to the vitalquestion. What, Grace darling, are you going to wear at Palm Beach?"
"I'd like to get new gowns and things," Grace replied; "but it's hard toget summer clothes in winter. Of course, I've got last summer's things."
"I'd feel that I was pretty well fitted out already if I had _your_ lastsummer's things," observed Laura.
"I should say as much!" agreed Rhoda. "The idea of Grace Mason needing anew summer outfit. What's the objection to that lovely crepe de chinethat made me green with envy when you wore it last summer?"
"Or that voile with the heliotrope flowers?" supplemented Nan. "Or thewhite net with the embroidered flounces?"
"Or that blue taffeta that you looked so stunning in at the gardenparty?" said Rhoda.
"Or the old rose georgette with the touch of black velvet, to saynothing of half a dozen others?" added Bess.
"Since you are resurrecting the old gowns so vigorously," laughed Grace,"I begin to think I may get through without so many new things afterall, especially as the old gowns will be new to the people I shall meetat Palm Beach. Of course mother will have a dressmaker, and she'll alterand freshen up and make a few new things. But she can't do such a verygreat deal in the little time from now to the holidays. If it was anyother place than Palm Beach, I wouldn't even think about dress. But it'ssuch a very swell place, you know, girls, and I don't want to feel outof place while I'm there. Of course you know how I feel."
"Sure we do," Laura assured her. "But I'll guarantee that with what youhave and what you'll be able to add, you'll feel very much in it, evenat Palm Beach."
"And now, ladies," said Rhoda, "that the all-important subject of dressis disposed of, I move that Nan pass around for our refreshment thosefine Florida oranges I see on the table there."
Nan laughingly complied, and Bess suddenly exclaimed as she peeled therind from her orange:
"This reminds me, Grace. How will it seem to be walking through lovelyorange groves with the beautiful golden fruit showing between theleaves?"
"And," Nan supplemented, "to be able to pick and eat the oranges withthe warmth of the sun upon them! I have heard that the flavor is verydifferent from what we are accustomed to."
"And imagine," Rhoda added longingly, "not only being able to feast onthe delicious oranges but to have the fragrance of the wonderfulblossoms all around you as you walk through the groves."
"Oh, girls, girls!" cried Grace, "you make me impatient to be there atthis very minute. There's one thing," she added quizzically, "if noother orange blossoms ever come my way, I'll at least have had those."
"No need for you to worry about that," returned Laura, "with that youngPalm Beach millionaire--or is it billionaire?--waiting to greet you andsome day crown that fair brow of thine with fragrant orange blooms.Methinks I can already smell their fragrance and hear the strains of thejustly celebrated wedding march of Mendelssohn."
"What vivid imaginations some people have," returned Grace calmly.
"Oh, dear," sighed Nan musingly, "doesn't it seem a shame that everybodycan't have wonderful things? If only a very small part of the surpluswealth could be divided among those who are struggling just to live,what a different world this would be. It doesn't seem right that somany people should have everything and others have little else than workand worry. Those people at Palm Beach have wealth, luxury, everything tomake life splendid, while others have so little. Things certainly areuneven in this world. Take Mrs. Bragley, for instance."
"I tell you what we'll do, girls," said Grace impulsively. "We'll make aspread for Mrs. Bragley as well as for ourselves."
"Fine!" ejaculated Rhoda. "We'll fill a basket with canned meat and somepotatoes and----"
"No, no," interrupted Grace impulsively, "not those things. Let's giveher a real spread with something out of the ordinary."
"Jellies," proposed Bess.
"Glass jars of imported strawberries and cherries," suggested Laura.
"A great bunch of those wonderful California grapes," contributed Grace.
"And some Florida oranges," added Nan.
"Great!" commented Grace. "When shall we do it?"
"Let's see," mused Nan. "We have our Latin class at two. We'll bethrough by three. Let's make it three-thirty o'clock to-morrow."
"I'm afraid you'll have to go without me," said Grace. "I promisedmother I'd answer her letter right away, so I'll have to get that offto-morrow."
"I can't go either," said Laura. "I have those French exercises to makeup before to-morrow night. I'd like to go, but I suppose I can't withthat to do."
"Then, Bess," said Nan, "you and Rhoda and I will be a committee ofthree to wait on Mrs. Bragley to-morrow."
"Girls, isn't it warm in here?" questioned Laura.
"Warm? With the heating plant broken down?" queried Nan.
"It feels warm and I'm going to open a window," went on Laura, and,suiting the action to the word, she shoved up a window that was handy.
"Br-r-r!" came from several of the others.
"My, but that's cold!"
"We'll all get sick!"
"I know a way to fix Laura!" cried Rhoda, and, as she spoke, the girlfrom Rose Ranch leaned out of the window and r
eached upward.
"What are you going to do?" asked Bess.
"Get an icicle for her," answered Rhoda, and a moment later brought toview an icicle she had broken away from a projection above the window.The icicle was all of a foot and a half long and an inch or more inthickness.
"No, you don't!" cried Laura, leaping away as Rhoda came after her withthe bit of ice. "Don't you dare to put that thing down my neck!"
"It will cool you off, Laura," said Rhoda; but just then she slippedand went down, shattering the icicle into fragments.
"No more noise," whispered Bess, closing the window.
At that moment, Nan's clock, sounding the first stroke of midnight,startled the girls.
"The hour indeed waxeth late," whispered Laura, and vanished.
One by one the others noiselessly followed. There was the almostinaudible sound of softly closing doors, and quiet reigned over LakeviewHall.
In Nan's room for the second time that night there was the sound ofmeasured breathing, but this time it was genuine.