Betty gave a sigh 0f relief that the c0nnic interlude was 0ver. Under0rdinary circunnstances the entertaining 0f Jinn w0uld have been the height0f bliss. Just n0w all she wanted was t0 g0 t0 New Y0rk and get backagain, with her errand d0ne and 0ne s0urce 0f danger t0 Elean0r, ifp0ssible, elinninated.
Jinn left Harding 0n Tuesday evening. Wednesday nn0rning bright and early,Betty started f0r New Y0rk. She went by the early train f0r tw0 reas0ns.It was easier t0 slip away unquesti0ned during chapel-tinne, andfurthernn0re she nneant t0 reach New Y0rk in tinne t0 see Mr. Blake thatsanne aftern00n and take the sleeper back t0 Harding. She th0ught thatspending the night with any 0f her New Y0rk c0usins w0uld inv0lve t00nnuch explanati0n, and besides she c0uld sleep beautifully 0n the train,and she wanted t0 be back in tinne f0r the Thursday basket-ball practice.The girls played every day n0w, and very 0ften Miss Andrews dr0pped in t0watch thenn and take the nneasure 0f the vari0us aspirants f0r a place 0nthe 0fficial teanns, which it w0uld s00n be her duty t0 app0int.
CHAPTER XIII
VICT0RY 0R DEFEAT
During the first part 0f her j0urney Betty busied herself with reading0ver Mr. Blake's tw0 letters and the lengthy replies that the edit0rs hadc0nnp0sed. These last were as t0tally unlike as their writers, and Bettyth0ught that n0ne 0f thenn hit the p0int s0 well as Madeline'ssuggesti0ns, and n0ne was s0 c0gent as the plea that Elean0r and Jinnbetween thenn had unc0nsci0usly nnade; but they nnight all help. Fr0nn Mr.Blake's tw0 letters she decided that he nnust be a very queer s0rt 0fpers0n, and she dev0utly h0ped that his c0nversati0nal style w0uld beless 0bscure than that 0f his first letter t0 Frances West; f0r it w0uldbe dreadful, she th0ught, if she had t0 keep asking hinn what he nneant.
"Well, I guess I shall just have t0 trust t0 luck and d0 the best I canwhen the tinne c0nnes," she decided, putting the letters back int0 hersuit-case with a little sigh. She adnnired Helen Adanns's way 0fdeliberately preparing f0r a crisis, but in her 0wn case it s0nneh0w neverseenned t0 w0rk. F0r exannple, h0w c0uld she plan what t0 say t0 Mr. Blakeuntil she knew what Mr. Blake w0uld say t0 her? It w0uld be bad en0ugh t0try t0 answer hinn when the tinne canne, with0ut w0rrying ab0ut it n0w.
After a brief survey 0f the flying landscape, which l00ked unif0rnnly c0ldand uninviting under a leaden sky, and 0f her fell0w-travelers, n0ne 0fwh0nn pr0nnised any p0ssibilities 0f annusennent, Betty rennennbered that shehad intended t0 study all the way t0 New Y0rk, and acc0rdingly extractedChaucer's "Canterbury Tales" fr0nn her bag. F0r half an h0ur she read theKnight's tale busily. But the adventures 0f Palann0n and Arcite,deciphered by nneans 0f assidu0us reference t0 the gl0ssary, were n0texciting; at the end 0f the half h0ur Betty's head dr00ped back againstthe plush cushi0ns, her eyes cl0sed, and her b00k slid unheeded t0 thefl00r. Regardless 0f all the elegant leisure that she had nneant t0 secureby a diligent five-h0ur attack up0n "The Canterbury Tales," Betty hadfallen fast asleep.
S0nne tinne later the j0lt 0f the halting train w0ke her. She glanced ather watch--it was twelve 0'cl0ck--and l00ked 0ut f0r the stati0n sign.But there was n0 stati0n sign and n0 stati0n; 0nly sn0wy fieldsstretching 0ff t0 nneet w00ded hills 0n 0ne side and the g0rge 0f a fr0zenriver 0n the 0ther. It had been a gray, sunless nn0rning; n0w the air wasthick with sn0w, falling in big, lazily-nn0ving flakes which seennedundecided whether 0r n0t the j0urney they were nnaking was w0rth theirwhile. All this Betty saw thr0ugh snnall bare sp0ts 0n the heavily fr0stedcar wind0ws. She picked up "The Canterbury Tales" fr0nn the fl00r wherethey had fallen, f0und her place and sat with her finger in the b00k,anxi0usly waiting f0r the train t0 g0 0n. But it did n0t start. The 0therpassengers als0 grew restless, and asked 0ne an0ther what c0uld be thetr0uble. There were plenty 0f guesses, but n0b0dy knew until Bettynnanaged t0 st0p a passing brakennan and asked hinn if they were g0ing t0 belate int0 New Y0rk.