CHAPTER XX
AT TRITON LAKE
So on the morning following the feast-day there were two wagonetteswaiting at the entrance to the Briarwood grounds to take the girls twomiles by road to a certain boathouse on Triton Lake. When Ruth andHelen came out of their room, leaving Mercy cozily ensconced in thewindow-seat with her books and the box of bonbons, the door of thequartette was open and a faint groan sounded from within.
Helen's eyes twinkled, as she said: "The others have gone, but Jennie'sup in dry-dock for repairs. No wonder she wouldn't promise to be oneof the skating party. The pleasures of the table must be paid for----How do you feel now, Heavy?" she added, putting her head in at the door.
"No better. Oh!" came back the complaining voice. "I _do_ have suchdreadful ill-fortune. I can't eat _just a little bit_ without itsdistressing me abominably!"
The chums ran down to the wagonettes and found most of the girls whowere going already there. Ruth, seeing that there was more room in thesecond carriage, whisked into it, and Helen was following her when MaryCox came up.
"Going to get in here, Cameron?" she said. "Well, I'll get in withyou--no, I won't!" she suddenly exclaimed, seeing Ruth peering out."Come on to the other wagonette; Belle and Lluella are there."
For a moment Helen hesitated. Then Mary said, jerking at her sleeve:
"Come on! We want to start in a minute. I've heard from the boys andI want to tell you. They've sent a whole sleighload of things out tothe _Minnetonka_--the boat that's frozen in, you know--and music, andwe'll have great fun. Sh! Miss Reynolds don't know. She's such afuss-budget! If she knew the boys were coming--well!"
"Oh, Tom, too!" gasped Helen, delighted. Then she turned and said, ina whisper: "Ruth!"
"Come on and let that tattle-tale alone!" exclaimed Mary Cox. "Tellher, and she'll run to Miss Reynolds with it."
Helen went with her.
Had Ruth Fielding possessed the power of movement just then, she wouldhave gotten out of the wagon and run away to the dormitory. But shewas stricken motionless as well as speechless by her chum's defection,and before she could recover her poise the wagons had begun to move,rattling over the frozen road toward Triton Lake.
Ah! how it hurt! For weeks Ruth had endured slights, and haughtylooks, and innuendoes from Mary Cox and her Upedes--and the girl fromthe Red Mill had accepted all uncomplainingly. She had heretoforebelieved Helen only thoughtless. But this was more than Ruth Fieldingcould bear. She was the last girl to get into the wagonette, and sheturned her head away, that her companions might not see her tears.
The other girls chattered, and laughed, and sang, and enjoyedthemselves. Ruth Fielding passed the few minutes which elapsed duringthe drive to the boathouse in trying to stifle her sobs and remove thetraces of her emotion. She was tempted to remain in the wagonette andgo back to the school at once--for the carriages would return to town,coming out again for the party of Briarwood students late in theafternoon.
This thought was her first intention; but as her sobs subsided she feltmore the hurt of the treatment she had received. And this hurt stirredwithin her a self-assertion that was becoming a more prominentcharacteristic of Ruth every day. Why should she relapse into tearsbecause her chum had done a cruel thing? Hurt as she was, why shouldshe give The Fox the satisfaction of _knowing_ she felt the slight?
Ruth began to take herself to task for her "softness." Let Helen gowith the Upedes if she wished. Here were nice girls all about her, andall the Sweetbriars particularly thought a great deal of her, Ruthknew. She need not mope and weep just because Helen Cameron, heroldest friend, had neglected her. The other girls stood ready to beher friends.
They had not noticed Ruth's silence and abstraction--much less hertears. She wiped her eyes hard, gulped down her sobs, and determinedto have a good time in spite of either the Upedes or Helen's hardnessof heart.
The first wagonette reached the shore of the lake some time ahead ofthe second. And perhaps this fact, as well as the placing of MissReynolds in the latter, had been arranged by the wily Miss Cox.
"Oh, Mary Cox!" cried Helen, looking out, "there's a whole lot of folkshere--BOYS!"
But when one of the boys came running to help her down the steps, Helenshouted with delight. She came "flopping" down into Tom Cameron's arms.
"How scrumptious you look, Nell!" cried her brother, kissing herfrankly. "Here is Bob Steele--I want you to know him. He's my bunkieat Seven Oaks. Isn't his sister with you--Madge Steele?"
"Yes. Miss Steele's here," gasped Helen.
"But where's Ruth?" demanded the excited Tom. "Come on and get her.We want to get our skates on and make for the steamer. The ice is likeglass."
"Why--Ruth's in the other wagonette," said Helen.
"She's not with you?" exclaimed Tom, rather chagrined. "Why, how'sthat?"
"We--we happened to get into different ones," said his sister.
To tell the truth, she had not thought of Ruth since leaving the school.
"Is that the other one coming--'way back on the road there?"
"Yes," said Helen. "Here's Miss Cox, Tom. Mary, this is my brother."
Bob Steele, who was a tall, blond fellow, was at hand to be introduced,too. His sister jumped out of the wagon and said: "Hullo, Bobbie!How's your poor croup?" Madge was a year and a half older than herbrother and always treated him as though he were a very small boy inknickerbockers--if not actually in pinafores.
The girls giggled over this, and Bob Steele blushed. But he took hissister's chaffing good-naturedly. Tom Cameron, however, was very muchdisturbed over the absence of Ruth Fielding.
"We'd better hurry out on the ice. We've got an awful strict teacherwith us," said Mary Cox, hastily.
"You take care of my sister, too; will you, Bob?" said Tom, bluntly."I shall wait and bring Miss Fielding down."
"Oh, she'll look out for herself," said Mary Cox, slightingly. "Wemust hurry if we want any fun."
"Helen and I wouldn't have much fun if Ruth were left behind," declaredMaster Tom, firmly. "Go on, Bob; we'll catch up with you."
"Hadn't you better come, too, Tom?" whispered Helen, doubtfully.
"Why, we want Ruth with us; don't we?" demanded the puzzled Tom,looking at her in wonder. "Go on, Nell. We'll be with you shortly."
"Why, I want to introduce you to the other girls," said Helen, pouting."And I haven't seen you myself for so long."
"It's too bad you got separated from your spoon, Nell," said herbrother, calmly. "But I shall wait and bring her."
The others--even Madge Steele--were already trooping down to thelanding, where there were settees for the girls to sit on while theirskates were being adjusted. Helen had to run after them, and Tomwaited alone the arrival of the second wagonette from Briarwood Hall.