FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147  
148   >>  
into the corridor where girls were strolling idly as they waited for the gong to summon them to chapel. Beyond the broad staircase Ellen's disconsolate little figure stood in the glare of the gas-jet over the bulletin-board. Lila hastened toward her. "Miss Bright, oh, Miss Bright, I did not know. I am exceedingly sorry. You will keep me posted? If there is anything that I can do, of course--I feel--I feel--so guilty." Ellen raised her face. Her mouth was trembling at the corners. "I sent the letter," she said, "I'm waiting." She winked rapidly and her odd features worked convulsively for a moment. "If--if they telegraph----" "Miss Bright." It was the voice of a messenger girl who had that instant emerged from an adjacent apartment. "Will you step into the office at once, if you please? There is a message----" Ellen was gone like a flash. Lila walked across to the staircase and very deliberately seated herself with her head resting against the banisters. It was there that Bea found her a few minutes later when the stream of students was beginning to set toward the chapel doors. Bea was startled. "Lila, what is it? You look like a ghost. Shall I get some water?" Lila opened her eyes. "I think that her little sister is dead," she said. "Oh!" Bea clasped her hands in pity. "How can we help?" "I think that I killed her," said Lila. "What!" It was almost a shout. Then noticing that several girls turned to stare curiously in passing, Bea put out her hand. "Come, Lila, get up. It's time to go to chapel. You don't realize what you're saying." She rose obediently in mechanical response to the gesture. "It was my fault because I was the older and I knew the danger. She was only a freshman. She wanted me to persuade her not to drop that letter from the window. I could have kept her from feeling lonely. I made her reckless. It wasn't her fault. But now her little sister is dead." "How do you know she is?" asked Bea. "A message came." "Hush!" They slipped into a pew near the rear of the chapel. During the reading of Scripture, Lila sat gazing blankly straight before her over the rows of heads, dark and fair. As if in a dream she rose with the others for the singing of the hymn. Still as though moving in a mist, she sank again into her seat and bowed her forehead upon the pew in front. While the rustling murmur was subsiding into a hush before the prayer, she stirred and lifting her face turned for one fl
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147  
148   >>  



Top keywords:
chapel
 

Bright

 

letter

 
message
 
staircase
 
turned
 

sister

 

mechanical

 

response

 

gesture


persuade
 
wanted
 

freshman

 

killed

 

danger

 

noticing

 

window

 

passing

 

curiously

 

realize


obediently
 

stirred

 

rustling

 
blankly
 

gazing

 
straight
 
murmur
 

singing

 

forehead

 

moving


subsiding

 

lifting

 
reckless
 
feeling
 

lonely

 
prayer
 

During

 

reading

 

Scripture

 

slipped


raised

 

guilty

 
trembling
 

posted

 
corners
 
worked
 

convulsively

 

moment

 
telegraph
 

features