“What a worthy ambition,” said Marian Barber, with a giggle.  “They are such noisy creatures already.”

There was more laughing at this, as Anne and Jessica were by far the quietest members of the sorority.

“Remember, we practise to-morrow after school,” called Grace as she separated from her team at her street.

As she walked slowly down the quiet street, deep in thought, her ear caught the sound of an approaching automobile, and she looked up just in time to see Eleanor drive by in her machine.  Grace nodded to her, but her salutation met with a chilly stare.

“How childish she is,” thought Grace.  “I suppose she thinks that hurts me.  Of course it isn’t exactly pleasant, but I’m going to keep on speaking to her, just the same.  I am not angry, even if she is; although I have far greater cause to be.”

But before the close of the week Grace was destined to cross swords with Eleanor in earnest, and the toleration she had felt was swallowed up in righteous indignation.

During the winter, theatrical companies sometimes visited Oakdale for a week at a time, presenting, at popular prices, old worn-out plays and cheap melodramas.  These companies gave daily matinees as well as evening performances, and the more frivolous element of High School girls had in time past occasionally “skipped school” to spend the afternoon in the theatre.  By the girls, this form of truancy was considered a “lark,” but Miss Thompson did not look at the matter in the same light, and disciplined the culprit so severely whenever she found this to be the cause of an afternoon’s absence that the girls were slow to offend in this respect.

All this Eleanor had heard, among other things, from Edna Wright, but had paid little attention to it when Edna had told her.  Directly after cutting Grace Harlowe, she had turned her runabout into Main Street, where a billboard had caught her eye, displaying in glaring red and blue lettering the fact that the “Peerless Dramatic Company” would open a week’s engagement in Oakdale with daily matinees.

Eleanor’s eyes sparkled.  She halted her machine, scanning curiously the list of plays on the billboard.  “The Nihilist’s Daughter” was scheduled for Thursday afternoon, and Eleanor decided to go.  She wasn’t afraid of Miss Thompson.  Then, possessed with a sudden idea, she laughed gleefully.  At last she had found a way to effectually annoy the principal.

CHAPTER XV

A would-be “Lark”

Eleanor Savell and the seven girls who formed their sorority were the first to enter the study hall on Tuesday morning.  As soon as a girl from any of the three lower classes appeared she was approached by some of the former and a great deal of whispering and subdued laughter went on.  A few girls were seen to shake their heads dubiously, and a number of those termed “grinds” were not interviewed.  The majority, however, appeared to be highly delighted over what they heard, one group standing near one of the windows, of which Eleanor was the center, laughed so loudly that they were sent to their seats.