"well, what do you think of her? she has only been here a day, but it doesn't take us long to make up our minds," said nelly blake, the leader of the school, as a party of girls stood chatting round the register one cold november morning.
"i like her, she looks so fresh and pleasant, and so strong. i just wanted to go and lean up against her, when my back ached yesterday," answered maud, a pale girl wrapped in a shawl.
"i'm afraid she's very energetic, and i do hate to be hurried," sighed plump cordelia, lounging in an easy chair.
"i know she is, for biddy says she asked for a pail of cold water at six this morning, and she's out walking now. just think how horrid," cried kitty with a shiver.
"i wonder what she does for her complexion. never saw such a lovely color. real roses and cream," said julia, shutting one eye to survey the freckles on her nose, with a gloomy frown.
"i longed to ask what sort of braces she wears, to[138] keep her so straight. i mean to by and by; she looks as if she wouldn't snub a body;" and sally vainly tried to square her own round shoulders, bent with much poring over books, for she was the bright girl of the school.
"she wears french corsets, of course. nothing else gives one such a fine figure," answered maud, dropping the shawl to look with pride at her own wasp-like waist and stiff back.
"couldn't move about so easily and gracefully if she wore a strait-jacket like you. she's not a bit of a fashion plate, but a splendid woman, just natural and hearty and sweet. i feel as if i shouldn't slouch and poke so much if i had her to brace me up," cried sally, in her enthusiastic way.
"i know one thing, girls, and that is, she can wear a jersey and have it set elegantly, and we can't," said kitty, laboring with her own, which would wrinkle and twist, in spite of many hidden pins.
"yes, i looked at it all breakfast time, and forgot my second cup of coffee, so my head aches as if it would split. never saw anything fit so splendidly in my life," answered nelly, turning to the mirror, which reflected a fine assortment of many colored jerseys; for all the girls were out in their fall suits, and not one of the new jackets set like miss orne's, the teacher who had arrived to take madame's place while that excellent old lady was laid up with a rheumatic fever.
"they are pretty and convenient, but i'm afraid they will be a trial to some of us. maud and nelly look the best, but they have to keep stiff and still, or[139] the wrinkles come. kit has no peace in hers, and poor cordy looks more like a meal bag than ever, while i am a perfect spectacle, with my round shoulders and long thin arms. 'a jersey on a bean-pole' describes me; but let us be in the fashion or die," laughed sally, exaggerating her own defects by poking her head forward and blinking through her glasses in a funny way.
there was a laugh and then a pause, broken in a moment by maud, who said, in a tone of apprehension:
"i do hope miss orne isn't full of the new notions about clothes and food and exercise and rights and rubbish of that sort. mamma hates such ideas, and so do i."
"i hope she is full of good, wise notions about health and work and study. it is just what we need in this school. madame is old and lets things go, and the other teachers only care to get through and have an easy time. we ought to be a great deal better, brisker, and wiser than we are, and i'm ready for a good stirring up if any one will give it to us," declared sally, who was a very independent girl and had read as well as studied much.
"you massachusetts girls are always raving about self-culture, and ready for queer new ways. i'm contented with the old ones, and want to be let alone and finished off easily," said nelly, the pretty new yorker.
"well, i go with sally, and want to get all i can in the way of health, learning, and manners while i'm here; and i'm real glad miss orne has come, for madame's old-fashioned, niminy priminy ways did fret me dreadfully. miss orne is more like our folks out west,—spry[140] and strong and smart, see if she isn't," said julia, with a decided nod of her auburn head.
"there she is now! girls, she's running! actually trotting up the avenue—not like a hen, but a boy—with her elbows down and her head up. do come and see!" cried kitty, dancing about at the window as if she longed to go and do likewise.
all ran in time to see a tall young lady come up the wide path at a good pace, looking as fresh and blithe as the goddess of health, as she smiled and nodded at them, so like a girl that all returned her salute with equal cordiality.
"she gives a new sort of interest to the old treadmill, doesn't she?" said nelly, as they scattered to their places at the stroke of nine, feeling unusually anxious to appear well before the new teacher.
while they pull down their jerseys and take up their books, we will briefly state that madame stein's select boarding-school had for many years received six girls at a time, and finished them off in the old style. plenty of french, german, music, painting, dancing, and deportment turned out well-bred, accomplished, and amiable young ladies, ready for fashionable society, easy lives, and entire dependence on other people. dainty and delicate creatures usually, for, as in most schools of this sort, minds and manners were much cultivated, but bodies rather neglected. heads and backs ached, dyspepsia was a common ailment, and poorlies of all sorts afflicted the dear girls, who ought not to have known what "nerves" meant, and should have had no bottles in their closets holding wine and iron, cough mixtures,[141] soothing drops and cod-liver oil for weak lungs. gymnastics had once flourished, but the fashion had gone by, and a short walk each day was all the exercise they took, though they might have had glorious romps in the old coach-house and bowling-alley in bad weather, and lovely rambles about the spacious grounds; for the house was in the suburbs, and had once been a fine country mansion. some of the liveliest girls did race down the avenue now and then, when madame was away, and one irrepressible creature had actually slid down the wide balusters, to the horror of the entire household.
in cold weather all grew lazy and cuddled under blankets and around registers, like so many warmth-loving pussies,—poor madame's rheumatism making her enjoy a hot-house temperature and indulge the girls in luxurious habits. now she had been obliged to give up entirely and take to her bed, saying, with the resignation of an indolent nature:—
"if anna orne takes charge of the school i shall feel no anxiety. she is equal to anything."
she certainly looked so as she came into the school-room ready for her day's work, with lungs full of fresh air, brain stimulated by sound sleep, wholesome exercise, and a simple breakfast, and a mind much interested in the task before her. the girls' eyes followed her as she took her place, involuntarily attracted by the unusual spectacle of a robust woman. everything about her seemed so fresh, harmonious, and happy, that it was a pleasure to see the brilliant color in her cheeks, the thick coils of glossy hair on her spirited head, the[142] flash of white teeth as she spoke, and the clear, bright glance of eyes both keen and kind. but the most admiring glances were on the dark-blue jersey that showed such fine curves of the broad shoulders, round waist, and plump arms, without a wrinkle to mar its smooth perfection.
girls are quick to see what is genuine, to respect what is strong, and to love what is beautiful; so before that day was over, miss orne had charmed them all; for they felt that she was not only able to teach but to help and amuse them.
after tea the other teachers went to their rooms, glad to be free from the chatter of half a dozen lively tongues; but miss orne remained in the drawing-room, and set the girls to dancing till they were tired, then gathered them round the long table to do what they liked till prayer-time. some had novels, others did fancy-work or lounged, and all wondered what the new teacher would do next.
six pairs of curious eyes were fixed upon her, as she sat sewing on some queer bits of crash, and six lively fancies vainly tried to guess what the articles were, for no one was rude enough to ask. presently she tried on a pair of mittens, and surveyed them with satisfaction, saying as she caught kitty staring with uncontrollable interest:—
"these are my beautifiers, and i never like to be without them."
"are they to keep your hands white?" asked maud, who spent a good deal of time in caring for her own. "i wear old kid gloves at night after cold-creaming mine."
"i wear these for five minutes night and morning,[143] for a good rub, after dipping them in cold water. thanks to these rough friends, i seldom feel the cold, get a good color, and keep well," answered miss orne, polishing up her smooth cheek till it looked like a rosy apple.
"i'd like the color, but not the crash. must it be so rough, and with cold water?" asked maud, who often privately rubbed her pale face with a bit of red flannel, rouge being forbidden except for theatricals.
"best so; but there are other ways to get a color. run up and down the avenue three or four times a day, eat no pastry, and go to bed early," said miss orne, whose sharp eye had spied out the little weaknesses of the girls, and whose kind heart longed to help them at once.
"it makes my back ache to run, and madame says we are too old now."
"never too old to care for one's health, my dear. better run now than lie on a sofa by and by, with a back that never stops aching."
"do you cure your headaches in that way?" asked nelly, rubbing her forehead wearily.
"i never have them;" and miss orne's bright eyes were full of pity for all pain.
"what do you do to help it?" cried nelly, who firmly believed that it was inevitable.
"i give my brain plenty of rest, air, and good food. i never know i have any nerves, except in the enjoyment they give me, for i have learned how to use them. i was not brought up to believe that i was born an[144] invalid, and was taught to understand the beautiful machinery god gave me, and to keep it religiously in order."
miss orne spoke so seriously that there was a brief pause in which the girls were wishing that some one had taught them this lesson and made them as strong and lovely as their new teacher.
"if crash mittens would make my jersey set like yours i'd have a pair at once," said cordy, sadly eyeing the buttons on her own, which seemed in danger of flying off if their plump wearer moved too quickly.
"brisk runs are what you want, and less confectionery, sleep, and lounging in easy chairs;" began miss orne, all ready to prescribe for these poor girls, the most important part of whose education had been so neglected.
"why, how did you know?" said cordy, blushing, as she bounced out of her luxurious seat and whisked into her pocket the paper of chocolate creams she was seldom without.
her round eyes and artless surprise set the others to laughing, and gave sally courage to ask what she wanted, then and there.
"miss orne, i wish you would show us how to be strong and hearty, for i do think girls are a feeble set now-a-days. we certainly need stirring up, and i hope you will kindly do it. please begin with me, then the others will see that i mean what i say."
miss orne looked up at the tall, overgrown girl who stood before her, with broad forehead, near-sighted[145] eyes, and narrow chest of a student; not at all what a girl of seventeen should be, physically, though a clear mind and a brave spirit shone in her clever face and sounded in her resolute voice.
"i shall very gladly do what i can for you, my dear. it is very simple, and i am sure that a few months of my sort of training will help you much; for you are just the kind of girl who should have a strong body, to keep pace with a very active brain," answered miss orne, taking sally's thin, inky fingers in her own, with a friendly pressure that showed her good will.
"madame says violent exercise is not good for girls, so we gave up gymnastics long ago," said maud, in her languid voice, wishing that sally would not suggest disagreeable things.
"one does not need clubs, dumb bells, and bars for my style of exercise. let me show you;" and rising, miss orne went through a series of energetic but graceful evolutions, which put every muscle in play without great exertion.
"that looks easy enough," began nelly.
"try it," answered miss orne, with a sparkle of fun in her blue eyes.
they did try,—to the great astonishment of the solemn portraits on the wall, unused to seeing such antics in that dignified apartment. but some of the girls were out of breath in five minutes; others could not lift their arms over their heads; maud and nelly broke several bones in their corsets, trying to stoop; and kitty tumbled down, in her efforts to touch her[146] toes without bending her knees. sally got on the best of all, being long of limb, easy in her clothes, and full of enthusiasm.
"pretty well for beginners," said miss orne, as they paused at last, flushed and merry. "do that regularly every day, and you will soon gain a few inches across the chest and fill out the new jerseys with firm, elastic figures."
"like yours," added sally, with a face full of such honest admiration that it could not offend.
seeing that she had made one convert, and knowing that girls, like sheep, are sure to follow a leader, miss orne said no more then, but waited for the leaven to work. the others called it one of sally's notions, but were interested to see how she would get on, and had great fun, when they went to bed, watching her faithful efforts to imitate her teacher's rapid and effective motions.
"the wind-mill is going!" cried kitty, as several of them sat on the bed, laughing at the long arms swinging about.
"that is the hygienic elbow-exercise, and that the orne quickstep, a mixture of the grasshopper's skip and the water-bug's slide," added julia, humming a tune in time to the stamp of the other's foot.
"we will call these the jersey jymnastics, and spell the last with a j, my dear," said nelly; and the name was received with as much applause as the young ladies dared to give it at that hour.
"laugh on, but see if you don't all follow my example sooner or later, when i become a model of[147] grace, strength, and beauty," retorted sally, as she turned them out and went to bed, tingling all over with a delicious glow that sent the blood from her hot head to warm her cold feet, and bring her the sound, refreshing sleep she so much needed.
this was the beginning of a new order of things, for miss orne carried her energy into other matters besides gymnastics, and no one dared oppose her when madame shut her ears to all complaints, saying, "obey her in everything, and don't trouble me."
pitchers of fresh milk took the place of tea and coffee; cake and pie were rarely seen, but better bread, plain puddings, and plenty of fruit.
rooms were cooled off, feather beds sent up garret, and thick curtains abolished. sun and air streamed in, and great cans of water appeared suggestively at doors in the morning. earlier hours were kept, and brisk walks taken by nearly all the girls; for miss orne baited her hook cleverly, and always had some pleasant project to make the wintry expeditions inviting. there were games in the parlor instead of novels, and fancy-work in the evening; shorter lessons, and longer talks on the many useful subjects that are best learned from the lips of a true teacher. a cooking class was started, not to make fancy dishes, but the plain, substantial ones all housewives should understand. several girls swept their own rooms, and liked it after they saw miss orne do hers in a becoming dust-cap; and these same pioneers, headed by sally, boldly coasted on the hill, swung clubs in the coach-house, and played tag in the bowling-alley rainy days.
it took time to work these much-needed changes,[148] but young people like novelty; the old routine had grown tiresome, and miss orne made things so lively and pleasant it was impossible to resist her wishes. sally did begin to straighten up, after a month or two of regular training; maud outgrew both corsets and backache; nelly got a fresh color; kitty found her thin arms developing visible muscles; and julia considered herself a von hillern, after walking ten miles without fatigue.
but dear, fat cordy was the most successful of all; and rejoiced greatly over the loss of a few pounds when she gave up over-eating, long naps, and lazy habits. exercise became a sort of mania with her, and she was continually trudging off for a constitutional, or trotting up and down the halls when bad weather prevented the daily tramp. it was the desire of her soul to grow thin, and such was her ardor that miss orne had to check her sometimes, lest she should overdo the matter.
"all this is easy and pleasant now, because it is new," she said, "and there is no one to criticise our simple, sensible ways; but when you go away i am afraid you will undo the good i have tried to do you. people will ridicule you, fashion will condemn, and frivolous pleasures make our wholesome ones seem hard. can you be steadfast, and keep on?"
"we will!" cried all the girls; but the older ones looked a little anxious, as they thought of going home to introduce the new ways alone.
miss orne shook her head, earnestly wishing that she[149] could impress the important lesson indelibly upon them; and very soon something happened which had that effect.
april came, and the snowdrops and crocuses were up in the garden beds. madame was able to sit at her window, peering out like a dormouse waking from its winter sleep; and much did the good lady wonder at the blooming faces turned up to nod and smile at her, the lively steps that tripped about the house, and the amazing spectacle of her young ladies racing round the lawn as if they liked it. no one knew how miss orne reconciled her to this new style of deportment; but she made no complaint,—only shook her impressive cap when the girls came beaming in to pay little visits, full of happy chat about their affairs. they seemed to take a real interest in their studies now, to be very happy; and all looked so well that the wise old lady said to herself:—
"looks are everything with women, and i have never been able to show such a bouquet of blooming creatures at my breaking up as i shall this year. i will let well enough alone, and if fault is found, dear anna's shoulders are broad enough to bear it."
things were in this promising state, and all were busily preparing for the may fête, at which time this class of girls would graduate, when the mysterious events occurred to which we have alluded.
they were gathered—the girls, not the events—round the table one night, discussing, with the deep interest befitting such an important topic, what they should wear on examination day.
"i think white silk jerseys and pink or blue skirts[150] would be lovely; so pretty and so appropriate for the j. j. club, and so nice for us to do our exercises in. miss orne wants us to show how well we go together, and of course we want to please her;" said nelly taking the lead as usual in matters of taste.
"of course!" cried all the girls, with an alacrity which plainly showed how entirely the new friend had won their hearts.
"i wouldn't have believed that six months could make such a difference in one's figure and feelings," said maud, surveying her waist with calm satisfaction, though it was no longer slender, but in perfect proportion to the rest of her youthful shape.
"i've had to let out every dress, and it's a mercy i'm going home, for i shouldn't be decent if i kept on at this rate;" and julia took a long breath, proud of her broad chest, expanded by plenty of exercise, and loose clothing.
"i take mine in, and don't have to worry about my buttons flying off, à la clara peggotty. i'm so pleased i want to be training all the time, for i'm not half thin enough yet," said cordy, jumping up for a trot round the room, that not a moment might be lost.
"come, sally, you ought to join in the jubilee, for you have done wonders, and will be as straight as a ramrod in a little while. why so sober to-night? is it because our dear miss orne leaves us to sit with madame?" asked nelly, missing the gayest voice of the six, and observing her friend's troubled face.
"i'm making up my mind whether i'd better tell[151] you something or not. don't want to scare the servants, trouble madame, or vex miss orne; for i know she wouldn't believe a word of it, though i saw it with my own eyes," answered sally, in such a mysterious tone that the girls with one voice cried,—
"tell us, this minute!"
"i will; and perhaps some of you can explain the matter."
as she spoke, sally rose and stood on the rug with her hands behind her, looking rather wild and queer; for her short hair was in a toss, her eyes shone large behind her round glasses, and her voice sank to a whisper as she made this startling announcement:—
"i've seen a ghost!"
a general shiver pervaded the listeners, and cordy poked her head under the sofa pillows with a faint cry, while the rest involuntarily drew nearer to one another.
"where?" demanded julia, the bravest of the party.
"on the top of the house."
"good gracious! when, sally?" "what did it look like?" "don't scare us for fun,"—cried the girls, undecided whether to take this startling story in jest or earnest.
"listen, and i'll tell you all about it," answered sally, holding up her finger impressively.
"night before last i sat till eleven, studying. against the rules, i know; but i forgot, and when i was through i opened my window to air the room. it[152] was bright moonlight, so i took a stroll along the top of the piazza, and coming back with my eyes on the sky i naturally saw the roof of the main house from my wing. i couldn't have been asleep, could i? yet, i solemnly declare i saw a white figure with a veil over its head roaming to and fro as quietly as a shadow. i looked and looked, then i called softly, but it never answered, and suddenly it was gone."
"what did you do? quavered cordy, in a smothered voice from under the pillow.
"went straight in, took my lamp and marched up to the cupola. not a sign of any one, all locked and the floor dusty, for we never go there now, you know. i didn't like it, but just said, 'sally, go to bed; it's an optical illusion and serves you right for studying against the rule.' that was the first time."
"mercy on us! did you see it again?" cried maud, getting hold of julia's strong arm for protection.
"yes, in the bowling-alley at midnight," whispered sally.
"do shut the door, kit, and don't keep clutching at me in that scary way; it's very unpleasant," said nelly, glancing nervously over her shoulder as the six pairs of wide-opened eyes were fixed on sally.
"i got up to shut my window last night, and saw a light in the alley. a dim one, but bright enough to show me the same white thing going up and down, with the veil as before. i'll confess i was nervous then, for you know there is a story that in old times the man who lived here wouldn't let his daughter marry the lover she wanted, and she pined away and[153] died, and said she'd haunt the cruel father, and she did. old mrs. foster told me all about it when i first came, and madame asked me not to repeat it, so i never did. i don't believe in ghosts, mind you, but what on earth is it, trailing about in that ridiculous way?"
sally spoke nervously and looked excited, for in spite of courage and common sense she was worried to account for the apparition.
"how long did it stay?" asked julia, with her arm round maud, who was trembling and pale.
"a good fifteen minutes by my watch, then vanished, light and all, as suddenly as before. i didn't go to look after it that time, but if i see it again i'll hunt till i find out what it is. who will go with me?"
no one volunteered, and cordy emerged long enough to say imploringly:—
"do tell miss orne, or get the police;" then dived out of sight again, and lay quaking like an ostrich with its head in the sand.
"i won't! miss orne would think i was a fool, and the police don't arrest ghosts. i'll do it myself, and julia will help me, i know. she is the bravest of you, and hasn't developed her biceps for nothing," said sally, bent on keeping all the glory of the capture to themselves if possible.
flattered by the compliment to her arms, julia did not decline the invitation, but made a very sensible suggestion, which was a great relief to the timid, till sally added a new fancy to haunt them.
"perhaps it is one of the servants moon-struck or[154] love-lorn. myra looks sentimental, and is always singing:—
"i'm waiting, waiting, darling,
morning, night, and noon;
oh, meet me by the river
when softly shines the moon."
"it's not myra; i asked her, and she turned pale at the mere idea of going anywhere alone after dark, and said cook had seen a banshee gliding down the lady's walk one night, when she got up for camphor, having the face-ache. i said no more, not wanting to scare them; ignorant people are so superstitious."
sally paused, and the girls all tried not to look "scared" or "superstitious," but did not succeed very well.
"what are you going to do?" asked nelly, in a respectful tone, as julia and sally stood side by side, like horatius and herminius waiting for a spurius lartius to join them.
"watch, like cats for a mouse, and pounce as soon as possible. all promise to say nothing; then we can't be laughed at if it turns out some silly thing, as it probably will," answered sally.
"we promise!" solemnly answered the girls, feeling deeply impressed with the thrilling interest of the moment.
"very well; now don't talk about it or think about it till we report, or no one will sleep a wink," said sally, walking off with her ally as coolly as if,[155] after frightening them out of their wits, they could forget the matter at word of command.
the oath of silence was well kept, but lessons suffered, and so did sleep, for the excitement was great, especially in the morning, when the watchers reported the events of the night, and in the evening, when they took turns to go on guard. there was much whisking of dressing-gowns up and down the corridor of the west wing, where our six roomed, as the girls flew to ask questions early each day, or scurried to bed, glancing behind them for the banshee as they went.
miss orne observed the whispers, nods, and eager confabulations, but said nothing, for madame had confided to her that the young ladies were planning a farewell gift for her. so she was blind and deaf, and smiled at the important airs of her girlish admirers.
three or four days passed, and no sign of the ghost appeared. the boldest openly scoffed at the false alarm, and the most timid began to recover from their fright.
sally and julia looked rather foolish as they answered, "no news," morning after morning, to the inquiries which were rapidly losing the breathless eagerness so flattering to the watchers.
"you dreamed it, sally. go to sleep, and don't do it again," said nelly, on the fifth day, as she made her evening call and found the girls yawning and cross for want of rest.
"she has exercised too much, and produced a morbid state of the brain," laughed maud.
"i just wish she wouldn't scare me out of my senses for nothing," grumbled cordy; "i used to sleep like[156] a dormouse, and now i dream dreadfully and wake up tired out. come along, kit, and let the old ghosts carry off these silly creatures."
"my regards to the woman in white when you see her again, dear," added kitty, as the four went off to laugh at the whole thing, though they carefully locked their doors and took a peep out of window before going to sleep.
"we may as well give it up and have a good rest. i'm worn out, and so are you, if you'd own it," said julia, throwing herself down for a nap before midnight.
"i shall not give it up till i'm satisfied. sleep away, i'll read awhile and call you if anything comes," answered sally, bound to prove the truth of her story if she waited all summer.
julia was soon off, and the lonely watcher sat reading till past eleven; then put out her light and went to take a turn on the flat roof of the piazza that ran round the house, for the night was mild and the stars companionable. as she turned to come back, her sharp eye caught sight of something moving on the house-top as before, and soon, clear against the soft gloom of the sky, appeared the white figure flitting to and fro.
a long look, and then sally made a rush at julia, shaking her violently as she said in an excited whisper:
"come! she is there. quick! upstairs to the cupola; i have the candle and the key."
carried away by the other's vehemence julia mutely obeyed, trembling, but afraid to resist; and noiseless as[157] two shadows, they crept up the stairs, arriving just in time to see the ghost vanish over the edge of the roof, as if it had dissolved into thin air. julia dropped down in a heap, desperately frightened, but sally pulled her up and led her back to their room, saying, when she got there, with grim satisfaction, "did i dream it all? now i hope they will believe me."
"what was it? oh, what could it be?" whimpered julia, quite demoralized by the spectacle.
"i begin to believe in ghosts, for no human being could fly off in that way, with nothing to walk on. i shall speak to miss orne to-morrow; i've had enough of this sort of fun," said sally, going to the window, with a strong desire to shut and lock it.
but she paused with her hand raised, as if turned to stone, for as she spoke the white figure went slowly by. julia dived into the closet, with one spring. sally, however, was on her mettle now, and, holding her breath, leaned out to watch. with soundless steps the veiled thing went along the roof, and paused at the further end.
never waiting for her comrade, sally quietly stepped out and followed, leaving julia to quake with fear and listen for an alarm.
none came, and in a few minutes, that seemed like hours, sally returned, looking much excited; but was sternly silent, and, to all the other's eager questions she would only give this mysterious reply:—
"i know all, but cannot tell till morning. go to sleep."
believing her friend offended at her base desertion at the crisis of the affair, julia curbed her curiosity[158] and soon forgot it in sleep. sally slept also, feeling like a hero reposing after a hard-won battle.
she was up betimes and ready to receive her early visitors with an air of triumph, which silenced every jeer and convinced the most skeptical that she had something sensational to tell at last.
when the girls had perched themselves on any available article of furniture, they waited with respectful eagerness, while sally retired to the hall for a moment, and julia rolled her eyes, with her finger on her lips, looking as if she could tell much if she dared.
sally returned somewhat flushed, but very sober, and in a few dramatic words related the adventures of the night, up to the point where she left julia quivering ignominiously in the closet, and, like horatius, faced the foe alone.
"i followed till the ghost entered a window."
"which?" demanded five awestruck voices at once.
"the last."
"ours?" whispered kitty, pale as her collar, while cordy, her room-mate, sat aghast.
"as it turned to shut the window the veil fell back and i saw the face." sally spoke in a whisper and added, with a sudden start, "i see it now!"
every girl sprang or tumbled off her perch as if an electric shock had moved them, and stared about them as nelly cried wildly, "where? oh, where?"
"there!" and sally pointed at the palest face in the room, while her own reddened with the mirth she was vainly trying to suppress.
"cordy?"
a general shriek of amazement and incredulity followed[159] the question, while sally laughed till the tears ran down her cheeks at the dumb dismay of the innocent ghost.
as soon as she could be heard she quickly explained: "yes, it was cordy, walking in her sleep. she wore her white flannel wrapper, and a cloud round her head, and took her exercise over the roofs at midnight, so that no time might be lost. i don't wonder she is tired in the morning, after such dangerous gymnastics as these."
"but she couldn't vanish in that strange way off the house-top without breaking her neck," said julia, much relieved, but still mystified.
"she didn't fly nor fall, but went down the ladder left by the painters. look at the soles of her felt slippers, if you doubt me, and see the red paint from the roof. we couldn't open the cupola windows, you remember, but this morning i took a stroll and looked up and saw how she did it asleep, though she never would dare to do it awake. somnambulists do dreadfully dangerous things, you know," said sally, as if her experience of those peculiar people had been vast and varied.
"how could i? it's horrid to think of. why did you let me, kit?" cried cordy, uncertain whether to be proud or ashamed of her exploit.
"never dreamed of your doing such a silly thing, and never waked up. sleep-walkers are always quiet, and if i had seen you i'd have been too scared to know you. i'll tie you to the bed-post after this,[160] and not let you scare the whole house," answered kitty, regarding it all as a fine joke.
"what did i do when i got in?" asked cordy, curiously.
"took off your things and went to bed as if glad to get back. i didn't dare to wake you, and kept the fun all to myself till this morning. thought i ought to have a good laugh for my pains since i did all the work," answered sally, in high glee at the success of her efforts.
"i did want to get as thin as i could before i went home, the boys plague me so; and i suppose it wore upon me and set me to walking at night. i'm very sorry, and i never will again if i can help it. please forgive me, and don't tell any one but miss orne; it was so silly," begged poor cordy, tearfully.
all promised and comforted her, and praised sally, and plagued julia, and had a delightfully noisy and exciting half hour before the breakfast bell rang.
miss orne wondered what made the young faces so gay and the laughter so frequent, as mysterious hints and significant nods went on around the table; but as soon as possible she was borne into the school-room and told the thrilling tale.
her interest and surprise were very flattering, and when the subject had been well discussed she promised to prevent any further escapades of this sort, and advised cordy to try the banting method for the few remaining weeks of her stay.
"i'll try anything that will keep me from acting ghost and making every one afraid of me," said cordy,[161] secretly wondering why she had not broken her neck in her nocturnal gymnastics.
"do you believe in ghosts, miss orne?" asked maud,—who did, in spite of the comic explanation of this one.
"not the old-fashioned sort, but there is a modern kind that we are all afraid of more or less," answered miss orne, with a half-playful, half-serious look at the girls around her.
"do tell about them, please," begged kitty, while the rest looked both surprised and interested.
"there is one which i am very anxious to keep you from fearing. women are especially haunted by it, and it prevents them from doing, being, and thinking all that they might and ought. 'what will people say?' is the name of this formidable ghost; and it does much harm, for few of us have the courage to live up to what we know to be right in all things. you are soon to go away to begin your lives in earnest, and i do hope that whatever i have been able to teach you about the care of minds and bodies will not be forgotten or neglected because it may not be the fashion outside our little world."
"i never will forget, or be afraid of that ghost, miss orne," cried sally, quick to understand and accept the warning so opportunely given.
"i have great faith in you, dear, because you have proved yourself so brave in facing phantoms more easily laid. but this is a hard one to meet and vanquish; so watch well, stand firm, and let these jerseys that you are so fond of cover not only healthy young bodies but[162] happy hearts, both helping you to be sweet, wise, and useful women in the years to come. dear girls, promise me this, and i shall feel that our winter has not been wasted, and that our spring is full of lovely promise for a splendid summer."
as she spoke, with her own beautiful face bright with hope and tenderness, miss orne opened her arms and gathered them all in, to seal their promise with grateful kisses more eloquent than words.
long after their school days were over, the six girls kept the white jerseys they wore at the breaking-up festival, as relics of the j. j.; and long after they were scattered far apart, they remembered the lessons which helped them to be what their good friend hoped—healthy, happy, and useful women.
