It's something to have nice people in the room, if we can't be there ourselves.
You are nice, aren't you?" turning to Clover.
"Very," replied Clover, laughing.
"I thought so.
I can almost always tell without asking; still, it is something to have it on the best authority.
We'll be good neighbors, won't we?
Look here!" and she pulled one of the black-handled drawers completely out and laid it on the bed.
"Do you see? your drawers are exactly behind ours.
At any time in silent study hour, if I have something I want to say, I'll rap and pop a note into your drawer, and you can do the same to me.
Isn't it fun?"
Clover said, "Yes;" but Katy, though she laughed, shook her head.
"Don't entice us into mischief," she said.
"Oh, gracious!" exclaimed Rose.
"Now, are you going to be good,— you two?
If you are, just break the news at once, and have it over.
I can bear it."
She fanned herself in such a comical way that no one could help laughing.
Mary Silver joined, but stopped pretty soon in her sudden manner.
"There's Mary, now," went on Rose: "she's a Paragon.
But, if any more are coming into the entry, just give me fair notice, and I pack and move up among the sinners in Attic Row.
Somehow, you don't look like Paragons either,—you especially," nodding to Clover.
"Your eyes are like violets; but so are Sylvia's—that's my sister,—and she's the greatest witch in Massachusetts.
Eyes are dreadfully deceitful things.
As for you,"—to Katy,—"you're so tall that I can't take you in all at once; but the piece I see doesn't look dreadful a bit."
Rose was sitting in the window as she made these remarks; and, leaning forward suddenly, she gave a pretty, blushing nod to some one below.
Katy glanced down, and saw a handsome young man replacing the cap he had lifted from his head.
"That's Berry Searles," said Rose.
"He's the president's son, you know. He always comes through the side yard to get to his room.
That's it,—the one with the red curtain.
It's exactly opposite your window: don't you see?"
"So it is!" exclaimed Katy, remembering what Lilly had said.
"Oh! was that the reason?"—she stopped, afraid of being rude.
"The reason we wanted the room?" inquired Rose, coolly.
"Well, I don't know.
It hadn't occurred to me to look at it in that light.
Mary!" with sudden severity, "is it possible that you had Berry
Searles in your mind when you were so pertinacious about that room?"
"Rose!
How can you?
You know I never thought of such a thing," protested poor Mary.
"I hope not; otherwise I should feel it my duty to consult with Mrs. Florence on the subject," went on Rose, with an air of dignified admonition.
"I consider myself responsible for you and your morals, Mary.
Let us change this painful subject."
She looked gravely at the three girls for a moment; then her lips began to twitch, the irresistible dimples appeared in her cheeks, and, throwing herself back in her chair, she burst into a fit of laughter.
"O Mary, you blessed goose!
Some day or other you'll be the death of me!
Dear, dear! how I am behaving!
It's perfectly horrid of me.
And I didn't mean it. I'm going to be real good this term; I promised mother.
Please forget it, and don't take a dislike to me, and never come again," she added, coaxingly, as Katy and Clover rose to go.