Page:Quits - Abbie Farwell Brown.djvu/17

Rh. Oh, but it is. And you must help us to think how to get out of it, Fred—Mr. Olney.

. I will, with all my heart. Now tell us all about it.

. (hesitating). In the first place, I want to know if you—if you would forgive any one who had played a joke on you—a practical joke which seemed very funny at first, but which turned out to be—not so amusing after all. Could you forgive any one?

. I don't know as I could forgive any one, but I certainly would forgive you, Kittie; especially if you looked at me like that.

. (seriously). And would you try to help her out of the scrape she had got herself and you into, and never be hateful, or nagging, or revengeful afterwards, as men always are?

. I might want to tease her a bit, so as to be quits, you know. I might want to deceive her a little in return, perhaps. But I shouldn't be a lifelong enemy, I hope. But, tell me, what would you do if any one deceived you in return? Would you as magnanimously forgive him?

. Oh, don't argue with me now. Of course I would take a joke. But I really am in earnest, for once. It was a great temptation; men are so easily deceived. (Sighs.) . Ah, yes; and women are so sharp. (Sighs.)

. Well, then, I am going to tell you something awful—something that isn't funny a bit, though I thought it was once. (Sobs.)

(aside). Bless her! (Aloud; rising and standing before her.) No; you shall not tell me. You have promised to be forgiving yourself. Hear me first.

. No; I must tell you. It is time the truth was told, and I am going to do it now.

(sitting on ottoman at end of sofa). Very well; say on, fair oracle. I am all ears, as my mother said when I was a baby.

. (confusedly). Well—I am Mabel Warren. I wrote all those trashy letters to you. Gladys was Emma—and it was an awful thing to do—and we've been found out—awful scrape—got to go to Miss Griffin at six—and we shall be expelled. Oh, dear, Fred, what shall we do ? Isn't it awful ? And oh—can you forgive us and not think us silly, mean, unladylike, contemptible girls?

(calmly). Certainly not. Why, I knew that—knew it all along. Big joke on you girls, but we weren't fooled.

. (gasping). Weren't fooled ? You don't mean—

. But I do, certainly. You don't suppose we were such geese—ha, ha! But now I must confess. We wrote that note from Miss Griffin in revenge. It's all right; she doesn't know anything about it, though she came pretty near it. I thought when she came in, and we told her—

. (laughing). But that's the best joke of all. You were cheated. That wasn't Miss Griffin at all, but I, dressed up.

(amazed). You dressed up! You don't mean it. Well,