Mr. Ashby smiled. "They're much safer in New York than if they lived in smaller towns. Girls in this city haven't time to find beaux or think of husbands."
"Don't be so sure, Mr. Ashby," retorted Mr. Fabian. "If the girls are as pretty as my two are, and clever and rich as well, they'd find it hard to escape."
"But you are speaking of society girls, while these two students seldom give that empty life a thought--I'm glad to say."
Which conversation goes to show that more than one adult was watching the experiment these two girls were unconsciously making of their school days, with intense interest and a desire to aid.
Polly and Eleanor were not aware of all that had been done to insure them perfect freedom and liberty to continue their art classes. Had they known the arguments Mr. Latimer had had with Jim and Ken to keep those boys from usurping so much of the time the girls had to devote to study! Then Jim had blustered and boasted of all he would do once he was at college: His father wouldn't know how many letters he would write, nor the visits to the girls, of an evening!
And one reason Tom Latimer and John seldom wrote to Polly and Eleanor, was because of Anne's suggestion--to leave the girls to plan their spare time for their very own work, and not be made to feel that they had letters to answer, all the time.
It was Tom who had begged Jim not to waste his own, or the girls' time, in writing silly letters or in traveling back and forth from college to New York. And Tom, wise big brother that he was, took Jim into his confidence and explained how anxious John and he were to have Polly climb to the top of the ladder in her art. That she had to make good in New York those first two years or go back home and starve her artistic soul on a lonesome ranch.
But Valentine's Day was coming, and Jim felt that on that day he would be privileged to not only write to the girls, but to send each one a fine valentine, describing his sentiments.
Polly and Eleanor could not forget Valentine's Day was at hand, for every shop-window they passed invited sentimental people to step in and see the love cards.
"I'd like to send a perfect dear to Mr. Dalken, Nolla," said Polly, reading the verse on a card.