it was very hard for kit to keep her mind on orlando that evening, between the excitement of the coming trip and the revelation of the urn. but after it was over the girls clustered around her for one last send-off, and she realized then how closely the ties of friendship had been cemented in her few months at hope.
she looked around at them with eyes filled with tears, and kit was not at all of the crying type, but it seemed as if each girl of her own special crowd had filled a particular niche in her life for the time being. there was charity, with her eye-glasses, and placid face, upturned smiling lips and quizzical eyes. how often she had taken the edge off kit's rancor and indignation with just a few timely, humorous words. amy, norma, peggy, and high jinks had been the starters in all kinds of fun and recreation, while anne had seemed to come the nearest to her of them all in actual comradeship. then last of all, marcelle. it was she who clasped kit's hand, as she repeated in her low voice:
"while the grass grows and the waters run, so long shall we be friends."
"for pity's sakes, girls," exclaimed miss daphne, "don't act as if you were never going to see her again. i shall see that she comes back in vacation next year, because the dean and i couldn't possibly do without her, now."
just before it was time to leave for the train monday morning, rex and anne brought over their farewell gift.
"it's supposed to be like a steamer basket," anne said, "only this is a train basket. we figured on your being on the train for at least two days, if you do happen to stop over in washington."
kit did not open it until they boarded the limited in chicago and were well on their way, speeding eastward. there was no sign of snow as yet, but the land seemed to lie locked in a frosty grip of barrenness. the dean seemed to smile perpetually now. he occupied the lower part of the section across the aisle, and kit loved to watch him as he sat by the window, his little black skullcap making him look like a portrait of an old-time french savant. every now and then he would glance up and meet her eyes with a little smile of mutual understanding. it was as if they, too, were united in a close bond of sympathy, ever since they had solved the mystery of amenotaph and ra's circle.
when lunch time drew near kit opened the train basket. there were fruit and home-made preserves, little tempting jars of sweet pickles and stuffed olives, home-made fruit cake and jars of club cheese with thin wafers that just matched them. the girls at hope had sent down five pounds of fudge as a parting gift to be included in the basket, but best of all, kit thought, was a young wild turkey, roasted to perfection, and stuffed with chestnuts.
"isn't this just like anne!" kit exclaimed, exultantly. "she knows how i love to nibble on good things to eat. now we won't have to go into the dining-car for lunch, and it will seem like a regular picnic having it here."
the dean was like a boy in his enjoyment of the unconventional luncheon. he ordered a wonderful salad as his share and a pot of french cocoa.
"doesn't this remind you, daphne, of some of the basket luncheons we used to have in england and france years ago?" he said, happily.
"cousin beth told us last year about a party she was with that went to the north cape," kit related, "and just when they were all transfixed by the majesty of the midnight sun one of the ladies said it was the most unique experience of her whole life, eating crackers and cheese on the north cape."
"she would have left peanut shells on fujiyama," the dean replied, gravely.
they reached washington the following day, and here the weather was even milder, with almost a touch of autumn left in the air. christmas was thursday, and kit had pleaded for them not to miss christmas eve at home, so while the dean took the urn up to the institute, and left his records there, miss daphne and kit spent nearly four hours driving around the city and visiting famous points of interest.
"be sure and take a taxi, so you'll cover more ground," the dean suggested when he left them, but kit could not resist the beaming smile of one of the old-time darky coachmen, who sat drowsing on the seat of an open victoria outside the capitol grounds. he was dressed in an old colonial blue livery, with a tall silk hat, curving out at the top like those of the seventies.
"but, aunt daphne, doesn't he act just exactly as though he had been a retainer in our honored family for generations?" kit regarded his back with distinct approbation as they drove along pennsylvania avenue, and when the old fellow raised his whip in salute to every other old retainer perched on the box of a victoria that they met, she was delighted.
the dean joined them for dinner at one of the old exclusive hotels in the white house section of town, and here kit fairly reveled in the general atmosphere of diplomatic tone. she sighed involuntarily, watching a very beautiful woman who sat at an adjoining table, when she extended her hand in greeting to two foreign-appearing gentlemen in uniform, and they both bowed over it and kissed it.
"that's the continental custom, my dear," miss daphne murmured.
"oh, dear, i wish they'd do it here still," kit said. "it makes one think of powdered hair and lovely, flouncy hoop skirts. i'm going to practice it when i get home."
it was not until they took the through train from washington for new london that kit relaxed. it was the last home stretch, and now that the end of the journey drew near, the full importance of the dean's visit at such a time grew upon her. the little hint she had given about the guest chamber being ready was the only thing that would have made the family suspect she was bringing any guests with her. not a word had been sent to notify them of their arrival, but the last two hours in washington had been given up to the purchasing of gifts, and kit had looked positively dazed when the dean handed her twenty-five dollars with the remark:
"you'll want to buy a few little things too, my dear."
a few little things. kit wondered if he had any idea at all of how little cash had figured in the purchasing of home gifts at greenacres the past two years.
