“Which sentiment we echo heartily,” agreed Billie. “I crave your indulgence for a moment while I sum up our reasons for gratitude. First of all, Maria Tatgood and her mother are safe in jail where they will steal no more Gift Club funds. The two hundred dollars has been recovered----”
“It was generous of Edina to make up the missing sixty dollars from the check her father sent her,” interpolated Vi.
“Well, Edina has plenty of money now, you know. She’ll never miss that sixty dollars. Paw Tooker will probably be a millionaire before his new gusher stops gushing, and what’s Paw’s seems to belong equally to his beloved Edina. But to continue with the list of our blessings. With the two hundred and sixty dollars, we have been able to buy Miss Geraldine Gay a most gorgeous wedding present----”
“Why wouldn’t she be? There is no finer grandfather’s clock around here.”
“Not before the Thanksgiving holidays. The new teacher comes then.”
“That’s not so far away. We’re not too awfully forehanded with our gift.”
“To continue with the list of our blessings,” reiterated Billie dreamily: “Our friend and fellow student, Violet Farrington, has recovered from her backslidings in math to the extent of working off an onerous condition----”
“And it _is_ a blessing, believe me!” said Vi fervently. “With that condition off my shoulders, I feel as though I could begin to look about and enjoy myself.”
“I hope they have brought dozens of cakes!”
“Before they get here,” said Laura hurriedly, “there is just one little point I’d like cleared up.”
“Any little thing we can do,” murmured Billie.
“It’s about that five dollar gold piece that Edina spent in the shoe shop to buy a pair of shoes. If that was Nellie Bane’s five dollar gold piece----”
“It wasn’t. It was Edina’s. She had kept it as a lucky piece but, being short of funds, was forced to use it to buy shoes. Any more questions?”
“It was part of the sixty dollars spent by Maria Tatgood’s mother; she admitted as much when pressed. Now, no more questions, please. Let joy be unconfined!”
“It is a lovely party, isn’t it?” breathed Vi.
With her eyes on Edina Tooker’s happy face, Billie Bradley answered:
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