CHAPTER VI
THE ENTERING WEDGE
Since Ruth Fielding had first met Helen Cameron--and that was on thevery day the former had come to the Red Mill--the two girls had neverhad a cross word or really differed much on any subject. Ruth was themore yielding of the two, perhaps, and it might be that that was whyHelen seemed so to expect her to yield now.
"Of course, Ruthie, we can't disappoint Miss Cox," she said, withfinality. "And after she was so kind to us, too."
"Are you sure she did all that out of simple kindness, Helen?" askedthe girl from the Red Mill, slowly.
"Why! what do you mean?"
"Aunt Alviry says one should never look a gift-horse in the mouth,"laughed Ruth.
"What _do_ you mean?" demanded her chum.
"Why, Helen, doesn't it seem to you that Mary Cox came out deliberatelyto meet us, and for the purpose of making us feel under obligation toher?"
"For pity's sake, what for?"
"So that we would feel just as _you_ do--that we ought if possible toattend the meeting of her society?"
"I declare, Ruth Fielding! How suspicious you have become all of asudden."
Ruth still laughed. But she said, too: "That is the way it has struckme, Helen. And I wondered if you did not see her attention in the samelight, also."
"Why, she hasn't asked us to join the Upedes," said Helen.
"I know. And neither has Miss Steele----"
"You seem to have taken a great fancy to that Madge Steele,"interrupted Helen, sharply.
"I think she is nice looking--and she was very polite," said Ruth,quietly.
"Well, I don't care," cried Helen. "Miss Cox has shown us much morekindness. And I promised for us, Ruth. I said we'd attend her clubthis evening."
"Well," said her chum, slowly. "It _does_ look as though we would haveto go with Miss Cox, then. We'll tell Miss Steele----"
"I believe your head has been turned by that Madge Steele because she'sa Senior," declared Helen, laughing, yet not at all pleased with herfriend. "And the F. C.'s are probably a fussy crowd. All the teachersbelonging to the club too. I'd rather belong to the Upedes--a realgirls' club without any of the teachers to boss it."
Ruth laughed again; but there was no sting in what she said: "I guessyou have made up your mind already that the Up and Doing Club is theone Helen Cameron wants to join."
"And the one Ruth Fielding must join, too!" declared Helen, in her oldwinning way, slipping her arm through Ruth's arm. "We mustn't goseparate ways, Ruthie."
"Oh, Helen!" cried Ruth. "Don't talk like that. Of course we willnot. But let us be careful about our friendships here."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean," said Ruth, smiling, "that we must be careful about joiningany crowd of girls until we know just how things are."
"Well," said Helen, dropping her arm and walking to the other end ofthe room for no reason whatsoever, for she walked back again, in amoment, "I don't see why you are so suspicious of Mary Cox."
"I don't know that I am," laughed Ruth. "But we have no means ofcomparison yet----"
A mellow bell began to ring from some other building--probably in thetower of the main building of Briarwood Hall.
"There!" ejaculated Helen, in some relief. "That must be to announcesupper."
"Are you ready, Helen?" asked Ruth.
"Yes."
"Then let us go."
There was a card on which were printed several simple rules of conducttacked to the door. The chums had read them. One was that roomsshould be left unlocked in the absence of the occupants, and Ruth andHelen went out into the corridor, leaving their door open. There wereother girls in the passage then, all moving toward the stairway. Someof them nodded kindly to the Infants. Others only stared.
Ruth saw Miss Steele in advance, and whispered to Helen:
"Come, dear; let us speak to her and tell her we cannot accept herInvitation for this evening."
But Helen held back. "You can tell her if you like," she said, rathersullenly.
"But, let us be nice about it," urged Ruth. "I'll tell her weoverlooked the fact that we were already engaged for the meeting of theUp and Doing Club. I'll explain."
Helen suddenly seized her chum's arm more tightly. "You _are_ a goodlittle thing, Ruthie," she declared. "Come on."
They hurried after the Senior and caught up with her at the foot of thestairs. She was not alone, but Ruth touched her arm and asked to speakwith her.
"What's the matter, Infants?" demanded the Senior, but smiling at them.
Helen flushed at the expression, but Ruth was too earnest in herintention to smooth over the difficulty to notice so small a thing.
"Oh, Miss Steele," she said, "I am sorry to beg off from the kindinvitation you gave us. We cannot go with you this evening. It seemsthat it was already understood with Miss Cox that we should go withher."
"Oh!" exclaimed Madge Steele, a little stiffly, "you are alreadypledged, then?"
"Yes, we are pledged to attend the meeting of the Up and Doing Clubthis evening. It was very kind of Miss Cox to invite us," said Ruth,calmly. "And it was kind of you to invite us to the F. C.'s, too. Butwe cannot attend both meetings--not in one evening."
Madge Steele was looking at her earnestly and found that Ruth neitherdropped her gaze nor appeared confused by her scrutiny. Helen was theone who seemed confused.
"It is not our usage to interfere with those who are pledged to otherschool clubs," said Miss Steele, speaking distinctly. "I understand,then, that you are _not_ pledged?"
"Only to attend this meeting as visitors of Miss Cox," said Ruth,simply.
"Very well, then," said Madge Steele, her pleasant face breaking into asmile again, "I shall hope to see you at some future meeting of theForward Club. Here we are on the campus. It is cool and shady here,even in the hottest weather. We think it is a decidedly pleasantplace."
She walked beside them, conversing pleasantly. Helen recovered hergood temper and ventured a remark about the fountain which graced thecenter of the campus. It was a huge marble figure of a sitting female,in graceful draperies and with a harp, or lyre, on the figure's knee.The clear water bubbled out all around the pedestal, and the statue andbowl were sunk a little below the level of the greensward, like a smallItalian garden.
"What is the figure supposed to represent, Miss Steele?" asked Helen.
"You are allowed three guesses--and then you won't know," laughed theSenior. "You can see by the stains and moss on it that the fountainhas been there a great many years. Long before Briarwood Hall was aschool. But it is supposed to represent either _Poesy_, or _Harmony_.Nobody knows--not even Mrs. Tellingham."
The bell stopped tolling with three, sharp, jerky taps. Madge Steelequickened her pace along the path and the newcomers followed her.Other girls were pouring into the building nearest to the mainstructure of Briarwood. A broad stairway led up to assembly rooms; butout of the lower hall opened a large dining room, in which were ten ortwelve long tables, and at which the girls were already being seated bysome sort of system.
"I don't know where you will be seated," said Madge Steele, hastily."I am at the second Senior table. Here comes Miss Picolet. She willattend to you Infants."
"Oh, it's the little French teacher," said Helen.
Ruth met the little lady with a smile. Miss Picolet nodded to themboth and put out her tiny hand. She really was no taller than Helen.
"I am glad, young ladies, to see you in such good company. Miss Steeleis well worth cultivating," she said. "Come this way. You will beseated in the Junior division. It is probable that you will be placedin that grade permanently. Mrs. Tellingham will see you in her officein the next building immediately after supper."
Ruth and Helen followed the doll-like teacher to their seats. The girlwhom Mary Cox had called "Heavy" (and, indeed, it was a mostappropriate name) was already seated, and was right at Ruth's elbow.
"Oh, I hope they'll be seat
ed soon," Ruth heard this over-plump girlmurmur. "This is cup-custard night, and I'm so-o hungry."
The tables were laid nicely. There were several waitresses, andbesides Miss Picolet, there were at least four other ladies whom Ruthknew must be teachers. The hall was by no means filled. There werenot more than a hundred and fifty girls present. The door at the farend opened and a handsome, white-haired, pink-cheeked lady entered.She mounted a slightly raised platform and stood for a momentoverlooking the room.
"It's Mrs. Tellingham," whispered the fat girl to Ruth, seeing thequestion in the latter's face.
The Preceptress was a really handsome lady--perhaps forty-five, perhapsten years older. Her perfectly white hair, thick and well arranged,seemed to have been the result of something besides age. Here face wasquite free from any age-marks. There was a kind look in her eyes; ahumorous expression about her mouth. Helen leaned toward Ruth andwhispered:
"I know I shall just love her, Ruth--don't you?"
"And you won't be alone in that, Infant," said the girl on Helen'sother hand. "Now!"
Mrs. Tellingham raised her hand. The school arose and stood quietlywhile she said grace. Another motion of the hand, and they sat downagain. The bustle of supper then began, with the girls talking andlaughing, the waitresses serving a plain, hot meal, and everybody inapparent good-nature, and happy. Ruth could scarcely pay attention tothe food, however, she was so much more interested in these who were tobe her school-fellows.