Chapter 13
He drew a deep breath of enlightenment, while many emotions struggled for supremacy in his face. Conny dropped her gaze embarrassedly to the ground; Patty threw back her head and faced him. He and she eyed each other for a silent instant. In that glance, each asked the other not to tell--and each mutely promised.
The breeze brought the chorus of the "Gypsy Trail"; and as they sauntered on, Miss Jellings fell softly to humming the words in tune with the distant singers:
"And the Gypsy blood to the Gypsy blood Ever the wide world over. Ever the wide world over, lass, Ever the trail held true Over the world and under the world And back at the last to you. Follow the Romany patteran--"
The words died away in the shadows.
Conny and Patty and Priscilla stood hand in hand and looked after them.
"The school has lost Jelly!" Patty said, "and I'm afraid that we're to blame, Con, dear."
"I'm glad of it!" Conny spoke with feeling. "She's much too nice to spend her whole life telling Irene McCullough to stand up straight and keep her stomach held in."
"Anyway," Patty added, "he has no right to be angry, because--without us--he never would have dared."
They kept on across the meadow till they came to the pasture bars, where they leaned in a row with their heads tipped back, scanning the darkening sky. Miss Jellings's mood was somehow catching; the little contretemps had stirred them strangely. They felt the thrill of the untried future, with Romance waiting around the corner.
"You know," Conny broke silence after a long pause--"I think, after all, maybe it will be sort of interesting."
"What?" asked Priscilla.
She stretched out her arm in a wide gesture that comprised the night.
"Oh, everything!"
Priscilla nodded understandingly, and presently added with an air of challenge:
"I've changed my mind. I don't believe I'll go to college."
"Not go to college!" Patty echoed blankly. "Why not?"
"I think--I'll get married instead."
"Oh!" Patty laughed softly. "_I_ am going to do both!"
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
Page 21, "chose" changed to "choose" (endeavor to choose)
Page 35, "Cony" changed to "Conny" (Conny Wilder in dramatics)
Page 36, "Rosaile" changed to "Rosalie" (When Rosalie chanced)
Page 76, "or" changed to "of" (majority of the)
Page 85, "exhanced" changed to "enhanced" (are enhanced by)
Page 86, "skurried" changed to "scurried" (she scurried off)
Page 92, "Sally" changed to "Sallie" ( Miss Sallie affably)
Page 107, "Connie" changed to "Conny" (Conny murmured fervently)
Page 109, "wail" changed to "wait" (Just wait till)
Page 152, "esthetic" changed to "æsthetic" (rather than æsthetic)
Page 206, "same" changed to "some" (There was some)
Page 230, "or" changed to "of" (quiet confines of)
Page 247, "cheery" changed to "cherry" (of the cherry tree)
Page 320, "freindly" changed to "friendly" (the friendly darkness)
Page 329, "airly" changed to "airily" (her hand airily)
Page 330, "sings" changed to "signs" (dey learn signs)
Page 338, "tempestous" changed to "tempestuous" (through four tempestuous)