CHAPTER XIX--AN UNRELENTING ENEMY

At a meeting of the Nineteen Travelers in Robin's room, a howl of indignation went up over the loss of the desired real estate. Discussion grew apace when Leslie Cairns' part in the transaction was revealed. More than one girl among them named Elizabeth Walbert as the source from which Leslie had received information of the intended movement toward erecting a dormitory. Marjorie soon learned that she was not the only one who had seen the two girls driving together.

This grave set-back only served to make the new sorority more determined to carry out their project. Marjorie having brought Kathie's play with her, she invited Leila to read it to the company. It was received with acclamation. Before the Travelers separated that evening, the parts had all been assigned. Lucy had volunteered the typing of each part during the evenings. She was sure that President Matthews would not object to her use of the typewriting machine in his home office. With rehearsals under way at once, they hoped to give a performance of the play soon after New Years. Leila, Vera and Helen offered to go to the attic of Wayland Hall and inspect the chest of costumes. Vera laughingly announced herself as wardrobe mistress. Leila accepted the post of stage manager and threatened to be "a bully of some bad manners and a roaring voice, if you show yourselves too stupid."

The Saturday succeeding Marjorie's and Robin's disappointment sent Augusta Forbes to the heights of stardom in the basket ball arena. She went into the game fiercely resolving to outplay her team-mates if she could. She was in the pink of condition and played with more snap and precision than Marjorie had ever seen her exhibit. She carried her team, who did not distinguish themselves, on to victory by her sensational plays. The freshmen won over the sophomores by eight points. Gussie was riotously lauded, as she deserved to be, and escorted in triumph about the gymnasium by the usual admiring mob of jubilant fans.

That evening she came to Marjorie's door and called her into the hall.

"I can't stay a minute," she commenced in evident embarrassment. "I only want to say that I couldn't have played so well if it hadn't been for you. I was losing my nerve until you made those girls let me alone. One of them was really pleasant to me today. The others haven't been quite so snippy as before. Thank you, until I can do something splendid for you."

She turned and fairly ran down the hall, leaving Marjorie to look smilingly after her. She had not had time to say a word in return for the impulsive little recognition of her own worth.

"Why don't you invite your company inside the room instead of whispering to them in the hall?" demanded Jerry with a ferocious scowl, as Marjorie re-entered. "Once I was your honored confidant. Now I am--What am I? An idiot, let us say, for studying Political Science. It's werry dry and werry hard, Bean."

"You are still my honored confidant. I never considered you an idiot, and I loathe Political Science. I wasn't whispering outside the door, though. I was talking to _l'enfant angelique_, suppose we call her. She came to tell me that the other girls on the team are minding their own affairs as they should."

"I'm amazed," Jerry retorted genially. "Gloomy Gus has certainly arrived. She was a whirlwind today. Without her the freshies would not have whipped the sophs. She's agile, and has a good eye for the basket. She landed some beauties this afternoon."

Marjorie seconded this opinion. After a further remark or two, Jerry turned her attention to the despised intricacies of Political Science. Marjorie made a valiant effort to study, but her mind roved to her personal affairs. She finally took paper and pencil and began to jot down the various things she must do before going home for the Christmas holidays.

Paramount among them was a visit she must make to Miss Susanna. The nine girls whom the old lady had taken into her liking had already ordered their tribute of flowers to be sent to her on the day before Christmas. Marjorie always felt rather timid about going to Hamilton Arms without a special invitation. She had done so once or twice that fall, as Miss Susanna had invited her to come to the Arms at any time. She finally decided to write her eccentric friend a note, asking permission to spend a part of the next Sunday afternoon with her. That would really be the only free time she would have before Christmas. College would close the following Thursday for the Yuletide holidays.

In the light of after events Marjorie looked back on that particular Sunday afternoon as having been, the most perfect visit she had ever made Miss Susanna. The old lady unbent conversationally to a marked degree. She related incidents concerning her life at Hamilton Arms, and also that of her distinguished uncle, Brooke Hamilton, which, ordinarily, would have remained obstinately locked behind her stubborn lips.

Listening to Marjorie's account of the recent failure of the Nineteen Travelers to secure the site for the proposed dormitory, Miss Susanna waxed quite indignant over the manner in which the loss had been effected.

"Too bad that man Cutler didn't have John Saxe's address," she said tersely. "I know John very well. I remember him as a youngster in kilts. I have been told that Cutler is an honorable gentleman. That's saying a good deal for a real estate agent in these days of trickery."

"He spoke of that piece of ground beyond those two blocks of houses which belongs to the Carden estate. He said the Cardens might decide to sell it some day." Marjorie spoke with the unfailing optimism of youth.

"Not to anyone connected with Hamilton College." Miss Susanna's face had set harshly at mention of the name Carden. "Alec Carden was the man I had trouble with that wound up my interest in Hamilton College. He is dead now. He had two sons, both married and the heads of families. One of them lives at Carden Hedge, off and on. The other is a financier in New York, I believe. They were always a hard, tricky, dishonorable set. But enough of them. Cutler didn't say who owned that block of houses below the one you lost, did he?"

"Why, no," Marjorie replied after brief reflection. "I can't recall that he said more than that they were not for sale."

"Indeed, they are not for sale!" exclaimed Miss Hamilton. "Those houses belong to me. Uncle Brooke once owned the other block. He sold it to John Saxe's father."

"Then we need never hope to build our dormitory where your houses now stand." Marjorie could not resist saying this. She smiled, looking her hostess squarely in the eyes as she uttered the pointed remark.

It appeared to amuse Miss Susanna immensely. She laughed and said: "You are a straightforward child, aren't you? To please you I would be glad to part with those properties for a small sum. I can't consider the situation from that standpoint, unfortunately. I am done with Hamilton College. That settles the matter. Suppose we talk about something else."

Quite accustomed to the old lady's moods, Marjorie obligingly complied with the preemptory request. Neither did she allow it to intrude upon her mind until she had left Miss Susanna that evening. She carried with her a basket of be-ribboned packages to be distributed among the eight girls of Miss Susanna's acquaintance. The old lady's emphatic order had been: "These are to be opened on Christmas morning; not a minute before."

As she hurried lightly along over the frozen ground, Marjorie wondered mightily what dire calamity had been precipitated to incur such implacable hatred against Hamilton College as Miss Susanna plainly harbored. She could never think of it rather than sorrowfully. It seemed so sad, that, after all the time and labor and love Brooke Hamilton had lavished upon the college, one of his own kin should be its most unrelenting enemy.

Meanwhile Miss Hamilton had rung for Jonas and was repeating to him all that Marjorie had said to her. Jonas occupied in her household the position of manager, servitor and valued friend. He was close to eighty years of age and had been at Hamilton Arms even longer than had Miss Susanna. He had, as a young man, served Brooke Hamilton faithfully during the latter's declining years.

"By right, Jonas, I ought to turn over that property to those energetic youngsters," she asserted in her quick, matter-of-fact fashion. "Their object is really a worthy one."

"They are trying to carry on _his_ work," Jonas rejoined solemnly. "He would have wanted it to be so, Miss Susanna."

"Oh, I know it, Jonas; I know it." There was more than a shade of regret in the admission. "I can't overlook some things. The college doesn't deserve it from me; not after the way I was treated by the Board. No; they can't have it. If there was any good way to get hold of that strip of open ground of Cardens, I'd do it. Cutler could be trusted to sell it to Marjorie, and her friend Robin, without mentioning me in the transaction. I'd do it only to please the child, though; only to please her."