The Seven Sleuths' Club

  CHAPTER XVII. FIRST DAY IN A NEW SCHOOL

  It had been decided between Mr. Morrison and the Colonel, who had beencorresponding about the matter, not to start Geraldine in the SunnysideSeminary until she appeared to be quite contented to stay in the village.But on the Monday morning following the making of her dress, Geraldineherself appeared in the breakfast room unusually early and asked her"uncle-colonel" if he would not take her out to the seminary andintroduce her to Miss Demorest. How the old gentleman's face brightenedas he asked: "And so you are really content to stay and be the sunshineof my home?"

  Impulsively the girl kissed his cheek. "I'm glad you _want_ me," she saidsincerely, "and I'll _try_ to be sunny." Then, as Mrs. Gray had enteredthe room with a cheery good morning, the Colonel shared the good news.There was a mistiness in the grey eyes of the little old lady and a songof thanksgiving in her heart. Geraldine, to prove to them that _her_heart was changed, went over and kissed Mrs. Gray also as she said: "Mydear little Make-believe Grandmother is helping me to see things in adifferent light, more as I would have seen them if Mother had lived."

  Then into the room came Alfred, and the good news was told to him."That's great!" he exclaimed. "Dad will be so pleased. He certainly has asoft spot in his big heart for this little old town. Say, Mrs. Gray, doyou mind if I eat in a rush? I'm afraid I'll be late for the students'special if I don't hurry."

  Alfred and Jack went every morning to the "Prep" school in Dorchester.

  During the sleigh ride to the seminary Geraldine chatted happily abouthow surprised the girls would be to see her there. She had purposelytimed their going, when classes would be occupied, that she mightsurprise them at the recess of which they had told her.

  And that is just what happened. After making arrangements with MissDemorest for his ward to complete the winter term at the seminary, theColonel departed, promising to return at the closing hour, but Geraldinesaid that she would like to walk to town with the other girls and thatshe would wait at Merry Lee's house until Jack and Alfred returned fromDorchester. Then she and her brother could return together.

  The Colonel noticed a slight flushing of her pretty face as she made thesuggestion, and he wondered about it as he drove home through the crisp,sunlit morning.

  After planning with Miss Demorest about the classes she would enter,Geraldine was told that she might wait in the library, where a cheerfulfire was burning in the hearth, and that, after the midmorningrecreation, she might accompany her friends to Miss Preen's Englishclass.

  As Geraldine sat in the big comfortable chair in front of the fire, shehad time to think how very different her stay in Sunnyside was turningout from what she had expected. How she had dreaded it, and how selfishand stubborn she had been! It was a wonder that the Colonel had even_wanted_ her to stay; and how could that dear Mrs. Gray be so nice to herwhen she had snubbed her so rudely? Even the girls had been generous tooverlook her snobbishness when they came to call upon her. She actuallylaughed aloud when she thought of the prank they had played upon her.Then she curled up in the chair and tried to hide, for the gong wasannouncing recess. A moment later merry laughter was heard as doors upand down the long corridor opened and the day pupils and boarding pupilsemerged from their classes. Geraldine was wondering where her group offriends would go. She had hoped they would flock to the library, nor wasshe disappointed. Although she could not see them, she knew their voices.Merry was saying, "Girls, come in the library a minute. I have some newsfor you."

  "Is it secret?" Bertha asked.

  "I'll say it is--that is, just at first; after a time we'll tell it toGeraldine. Are we all here? Close the door, will you; nobody willnotice."

  "No, we're _not_ all here. Gertrude isn't. Where _can_ she be? Why didn'tshe come to school today?" Rose wondered.

  "That's why I have called this special meeting," Merry explained."Gertrude has gone to Dorchester to spend the winter. It was very sudden;she didn't have time even to call you all up to say good-bye. Hermother's sister was taken very ill last night and they sent for Gertrudeto take care of the children. Her aunt thinks everything of Trudie, andas she has to go to the hospital for an operation, she said she justcouldn't go contentedly unless Gertrude was there to look after her twobabies. It will be spring before she can return."

  "Oh, I say, that _is_ too bad! She'll miss all the fun we've planned forthis winter," Bertha said. "But you have more to tell, Merry. What isit?"

  "Yes, I have," their president confessed. "Gertrude suggested that, sincewe need seven girls in our secret society, she would like us toinvite----"

  There was a sudden rustling noise. "Hark! There's someone in this room,"Peggy announced.

  The girl in hiding sprang up. "I'm terribly sorry, girls," she said. "Ididn't want to eavesdrop. I was crouching down so that I could leap outand surprise you when you came over by the fire, as I supposed of courseyou would."

  With a glad cry of surprise her friends surrounded Geraldine, asking adozen questions at once. How did she happen to be there? Was she going tostay?

  And when she had answered them all satisfactorily, Merry announced: "Thisis like a play. Characters enter just when they're needed."

  Geraldine's face was beaming. "O, I am _so_ glad, if I am _wanted_ even,"she told them. "I can't understand, though, how I can be _needed_."

  "We'll have to tell you later," the president announced. "The ten-minuterecess is over. Hear that cruel gong! Now, Gerry, what class are you tostart in?"

  "Miss Demorest said that if I would accompany Merry Lee everywhere thatshe went, I couldn't go wrong."

  "Oh, goodie-good!" Betty Byrd exclaimed. "That means we are all in MissPreen's English class."

  "Shh! Come on!" Rose called to them from the open doorway.

  Merry introduced the new pupil to the angular Miss Preen and Geraldinethought she never had seen a thinner person or one with sharper eyes. Shefelt sure that she would heartily dislike the English teacher, but whatdid _that_ matter as long as she was in the class with all of herfriends.

  Before the hour was over Geraldine had, at least, to acknowledge toherself that Miss Preen knew how to teach and that she made the subjectvery interesting. After all, what more did one require in a teacher?

  From there they went to a song service conducted in the basementrecreation hall by Professor Lowsley, whose hair, soft, grey and wavy,rested on his shoulders. His near-sighted eyes were gentle and lightblue, and his manner one of infinite patience. For half an hour the fortygirls in the school practiced vocal scales all together, then sang songs,some old and some new, until the gong announced for them a change ofactivities. Geraldine was interested to know what was to happen next.

  "We go to lunch now," Merry informed her. "After we've washed up inyonder lavatory."

  The dining-rooms were also in the basement, beyond the recreation hall,and Geraldine was delighted to find that she was to occupy Gertrude'splace at a table with her six friends and one teacher, a Miss AdelaineBrockett, young, who had charge of the gym, understanding theatricals andgames. In reality she was Miss Demorest's assistant and often had entirecharge of the seminary during the principal's absences. The girls seemedto adore Miss Brockett, but of course Merry could not talk about theirclub plans with anyone else present.

  "Isn't it great that we day pupils are allowed to have lunch here thesewintry days? It's a long mile to the middle of town and that poky oldstreet car never could get us home and back in time for classes," Pegsaid to Geraldine, who agreed that it was a jolly plan.

  "You missed math," Rose informed her. "We have that torturous subjectfirst thing in the morning."

  Then the afternoon classes began: History, General Sciences, Drawing, andFrench. But at last three o'clock arrived and the girls started to walkto town. "I'm so glad you didn't have your 'uncle-colonel' call for you,"Merry informed Geraldine, who was walking at her side, the other girlsfollowing two by two, that being as wide as the walk had been shoveled inthat
suburban part of town. They passed fine old homes set far back onwide snow-covered grounds among bare old trees. "We are having a mostimportant club meeting at my house today, and----"

  Geraldine stood still, exclaiming with sincere disappointment: "Then Ican't stop there and wait for Alfred as I told my uncle-colonel that Iwould."

  "Why not?" Merry asked; then before her companion could reply, sheexclaimed: "Oh, I understand now! You think we wouldn't want to discussclub business with you there. You're wrong, Gerry, my dear! We_especially do_ want you there. Now, don't ask me any questions. This isa secret club and it wouldn't do for me to tell you a thing about ituntil the meeting is called." And with that explanation the curiousGeraldine had to be content.