Brenda, Her School and Her Club

pillared gateway, and each pillar was surmounted by two large balls that looked as if they had dropped from the mouth of a great cannon. Behind the fence and close to the house were two little ga

t an upper window, some of the schoolgirls said that they had seen a woman's figure seated behind the lace curtains. Occasionally, too, on sunny days they had noticed a large, old-fashioned carriage drive up under the porte-cochère, while an old lady very much wrap

du Launy-and some of the girls had h

Mme. du Launy was a very beautiful girl. She married a Frenchman whom her

d very romantic. The girls at this moment happened to be seated on the steps leading to the

ut when Mme. du Launy's father died, she had three little children, and her father was so proud-he was a Holtom-he couldn

ink it's ridiculous for fathers to cut their c

k it's a great deal more ridiculou

hink that, Frances

," said Nora. "Go on with the story, Frances. W

er, but the Frenchman was a terribly ill-mannered little thing, and nobody liked him because he was so familiar. Mme. du Launy and he were hardly

would have stopped

y things for it. They had more than a ship-load, and they say that everything wa

hould love to

w, but you'd have to be a good deal s

ean that no one ever g

one in Boston except the doctor, and two or three

I've heard my mother speak of it.

she'd be lonel

ces, "but it's awfully selfish to

es she

e had called on her or not. Of course very few people went, only her relations and a few others. This made her so angry that she vowed she'd have nothing m

d," said Julia, when

said Brenda, "you

dith, "it is really sad. I wond

believe the girl married some one her mother didn't like, and so she disinherited her. She may be living s

ey saw a figure standing behind the cur

s now," the

e to go inside?"

'm really anxious to

can't you suggest some way by which I can find my way inside that house? Wouldn't one of your great a

they could they wouldn't, but I'm sure they have

present crescent moon is old I shall have at least a speaking acqu

society particularly, Nora, for one t

o know her. Come, Brend

iss Crawdon's school had discussed Mme. du Launy and her affairs. Indeed, each set of girls had wondered about her and her beautiful furniture, and her music

to join Nora and Brenda in whatever they were planning. One day as they walked about at recess they saw the old lady leave the house and enter her

ball seemed to fling itself against one of the windows, and the crash of breaking glass was heard. Some of the girls looked frightened and hurried across the street toward the school. Brenda too, started to go, but Nora took her by the hand. "Remember your promise," she said, so loudly that two of the other girls who were crossing the street, turned about and joined them. Just at that moment the school-bell rang, and rather reluctantly t

, as she and Brenda and the two other consp

d Edith from th

thing to attend t

s the most important thing that

Julia, as she saw Brenda preparing to t

ulia. I'm not a baby t

peech, for indeed she had become only too we

suggested Edith, looking toward Nora and Brenda

nswered Julia. "I

up Belle. "Come, yo

ossed the street to Mme. du Launy's mansion. They were surprised to see them ring

reopen, as the girls, looking somewhat

to?" called Belle, rather exc

d just made up my mind that I'd see the inside of that house. Frances Pounder seemed so sure I cou

ve. Why, Nora, I should

o and look,' I replied, 'and if you will please tell Mme. du Launy that I'd like to pay for it, I'll be greatly obliged.' I thought that while he was looking at the glass and talking to the old lady, he'd at least ask us into the reception-room, or drawing-room. But not a bit of it. There's a little vestibule just beyond the front door, and there he left us. He asked us to sit down, a

t see anything

caught a glimpse of a big gilded table and an enormous piece of

bet, you or Franc

een in the house and I

htened to death. What would you have

dn't have been frightened," and Nora looked at Brenda and