Molly leaned over and gave her friend an affectionate pat. At this show of love, Mary Neil jumped up so suddenly that she upset little Mildred, who was sitting on the sofa by her, and without saying a word rushed from the room.
"The suddenness of Mary,--that's all," declared Billie.
"Good title for a story!" said Lilian, getting out a note-book.
Little Mildred was picked up and comforted and in a short while the visitors took their departure.
"Molly, do you know what was the matter with that interesting looking red-headed girl?" asked Nance as they settled to the delights of a twilight chat, while Nance busily plied her knitting needles on the long drab scarf that seemed to grow under her agile fingers like magic.
"She was jealous of me. I noticed how she looked at me when I came in and she never said a single word while all of us were chatting. Then the moment you gave me a little pat, she jumped up as though she had received an electric shock and fled."
"It's true all the same. Didn't you know she was crazy about you?"
"No, and I don't want to know it. A girl had better be beau-crazy than have these silly cases with other girls. I am going to put a stop to it in some way."
"I might do like Peg Woffington and put my hair up in curl papers and appear at my very worst."
"Well, dearie, your worst might be so much better than some person's best that that might not work. But don't think I've got a case on you."
"Never! We were foolish enough college girls but we never were that foolish. I can't remember anyone in our crowd having these silly mashes. Can you?"
"Unless it was the affair Judy Kean had with Adele Windsor. Do you remember when poor Judy turned up with her hair dyed a blue black?"
"Do I?" and the friends went off into peals of laughter just as Mrs. McLean ushered herself into the firelit room.
"The door was open so I came right in," announced that dear woman. She caught Nance's hands in a strong grasp and drew the girl towards her. "I am glad to see you, my dear," she said simply. Her well-remembered Scotch accent fell pleasingly on Nance's ear.
"The violets were lovely. I thank you so much," faltered Nance.
Molly wondered at the embarrassment of her friend. She had longed to talk to Nance about Andy McLean but did not know how to begin. She shrank from prying into her guest's affairs, but the eternal feminine in her was on the alert for the romance she had no doubt was there.