“But why, I wonder—when hardly anybody knows us?”
“I think we must have won a lot of friends that first night when you made the girls stick to their principle. Everybody admires good sportsmanship.”
“Well, it’s lovely, anyhow, whatever the reason is. But it means that you people better hurry up and get some seats, or there won’t be any left. Save a place for me, and I’ll be up as soon as I find Jack and get the team lined up.”
Hardly was she outside the door when Goldie and Dot, obviously in a panic, literally bumped into her.
“Captain!” Dot flung out breathlessly. “Queenie hasn’t shown up!”
Marjorie grasped the excited girl’s arm in sudden alarm.
“Queenie!” she repeated. Then, realizing that she must not allow the girls to lose control of themselves at so decisive a time, she added, “But it’s only ten minutes of eight. She’ll surely come—she always does.”
“But she didn’t go to the hospital with us,” Goldie reminded her.
“Oh, that was different! That wasn’t basket-ball!”
“But suppose she doesn’t come?” demanded Goldie. “What shall we do?”
“Why, I’ll play, of course. The others are all here, aren’t they?”
“Yes, but that leaves us without a single sub. Suppose something happens—five personal fouls on a player, or somebody gets knocked out——”
“We shan’t worry about that till the time comes,” replied Marjorie coolly. “Let’s go into the dressing room, while I get ready. Above all, girls, don’t lose your nerve. We must win tonight!”
They found the other members of the team—Stella, Annie and Sophia gathered together on one of the low benches in a corner of the room, talking with the same nervous rapidity as the others had displayed. Marjorie immediately set about her task of reassuring them; in a few minutes she had restored their natural good spirits.
Yet for all her own words to the contrary, she was actually alarmed herself at the event which in her heart she believed would prove a catastrophe, not so much for the team, as for the troop. If she put forth a tremendous effort by sacrificing herself, she could probably play as good a game that night as Queenie, for what she lacked in energy, she would offset by superior knowledge and experience. But the effect upon the troop in general would be far more disastrous; if, as she now really believed, Queenie had lost interest in the scouts, the patrol would be without a leader, the girls would be at loose ends.