But with Nita Brandt, Lena Berg took sides, as well as Amy Brooks. This trio always “went together,” and could be depended upon to “stick to each other” in all school “rows.”
The present agitation, however, really mattered little to Dorothy, but the antagonism it was creating against Miette was what worried her. Several times later in the session she attempted to appease Nita, but the effort was met with prompt defiance. Certainly it was early in the term for quarrels, but when a girl has her pride hurt, as Nita did, she is apt to seek revenge.
“Poor little Miette,” thought Dorothy. “It will be hard to make her happy if those girls try to make her unhappy. I wish Mrs. Pangborn had given her to some one else.”
“Suppose we give up the initiation,” proposed Tavia to Dorothy, when they sat talking the affair over alone that evening.
“I don’t think that would mend matters,” replied Dorothy, “for they would keep up the trouble anyway, and perhaps do worse if they thought we were afraid of them.”
“Then why don’t you just tell Mrs. Pangborn? She told you to,” went on Tavia.
“But I do hate to tattle. Besides, they haven’t really done anything wrong.”
“But just wait. That Nita is getting more lispy, and more sneaky every day. I hate her.”
“Tavia!” exclaimed Dorothy. “Surely you don’t really hate anybody!”
“Then I _perfectly_ hate her, Doro. If you knew how she even tried to make trouble for you last year, you wouldn’t take her part so quickly.”
“I’m not taking her part at all,” replied Dorothy. “I’m only trying to take yours. You should not say you hate any one.”
“All right. I’ll just think it after this. But, all the same, I’d like to initiate Nita Brandt over again. I think I would manage to get the old pump in working order for the occasion.”
“Lucky for Nita she came early,” said Dorothy pleasantly. “But, now don’t you think we had better turn out the light? We seem to have the record for getting caught after dark, and you know about Miss Bylow.”
“Why not keep up our record?” teased Tavia. “Not such a bad thing to come out unscratched as we have done through all past battles.”
“Well, if it’s all the same to you, I would rather withdraw. I’ve got about all the rows on hand I feel capable of manipulating,” and at this she touched the light button and left the room in darkness.