“I smell something burning,” said Gladys, sniffing the air suspiciously.
“It’s probably something that has been spilled on the stove,” said Katherine serenely. They were all up at Katherine’s house.
“Here are the carols we are going to sing,” said Gladys, pulling Migwan toward the piano. “We might as well begin at once.”
“Do you really think Miss Jones will let me do it?” asked Migwan rather doubtfully.
“I’m sure she will,” said Gladys, “if we all——Katherine, there _is_ something burning; it smells like cloth.” And she rushed off unceremoniously to investigate. The kitchen was full of smoke when she reached it, proceeding from the ironing board, where Katherine had left the electric iron standing without being turned off.
“You ought to have a leather medal, Katherine,” scolded Hinpoha, switching off the current and setting the smoking board outside the back door, while Katherine stood idly by with such a look of pained surprise on her face that the others went into gales of laughter.
“I can’t get used to these self-starting, big city flat-irons, nohow,” she drawled mildly in self-defense. “Back where I come from the irons cool off when you leave them by themselves; here they start heatin’ up.” Katherine always left off her g’s when she spoke earnestly.
“Katherine, you’re hopeless,” said Hinpoha with a sigh, and then she added affectionately, “that’s why we love you so.”
“There’s Slim outside with his big bob-sled,” said Sahwah, looking out of the window. “He promised to take us all coasting down College Hill this afternoon. Come on.” And they trooped out.
Nyoda took a few round trips on the bob with the girls, and then, having other things to do, walked home by herself through the early winter twilight. A few blocks from her home she saw Veronica walking along just ahead of her. By her side walked a young man whom Nyoda recognized as Alex Tobin, one of the violins in the Temple Theater Orchestra. He was talking animatedly and earnestly to her, his white teeth showing often in a smile beneath his small black moustache. Veronica was listening eagerly with flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. As Nyoda drew near she heard Veronica say: “Oh, a chance to study with him would be the greatest happiness of my life, but uncle would never allow it. Never!”