CHAPTER XIX ZADA

When Tavia reached Dorothy in her room she found her chum in a state of excitement.

“Whatever is the matter?” Tavia asked in surprise.

“Why, Zada has been in here, and you never saw such a time,” replied Dorothy. “I cannot imagine what ails¹ the child. She came to the door, looked in, and finally came in. Then she burst into tears, and declared she had done something dreadfully wrong. As if that baby could do wrong,” and Dorothy closed her books that had been lying on her table evidently not much used within this study hour.

“Why didn’t you ask her what was the matter?” Tavia inquired. “I know that something has been worrying her, and she thinks so much of you she surely would have told you.”

“She wanted to do so. Then, when I saw how much it was going to cost her, I determined² to quiet her nerves by showing her I did not believe she had done anything wrong. She said if she145 did tell me she would leave school, and I am sure I don’t want her to do that.”

“Perhaps you are right,” Tavia answered. “Here is your mail. I was at the office and brought it up.”

Dorothy glanced over the two missives. “One is from Nellie Burke, in Dalton, and the other is from Aunt Winnie. I did hope to hear from father,” she said. “Aunt Winnie says all are well, and the boys send regards to you. Strange she does not mention the financial trouble,” Dorothy said folding up the papers.

“‘No news is good news,’” quoted Tavia. “I got a bill from the paper store for that old crepe paper we used on ‘rumpus night’. I had almost forgotten it.”

The crumpled³ piece of paper that held tidings of Dorothy’s trouble Tavia thrust deeper into her pocket. Surely, she concluded, if Dorothy’s own aunt, the Major’s sister, did not wish to tell her about the investment company Tavia would not do so. At least not just then.

“Let’s go hunt up some of the girls,” Tavia suggested. “Cologne says you have almost given her up, and Dick is so hurt about our neglect of the Glens, that she refused my fudge this noon. That dog business—Oh, my Dorothy Dale!” she broke in suddenly, “sit right down there, and tell me that dog story. Jake got the reward!”

146 “I’m glad of it——”

“And I only had five dollars!”

“But I warned you to do that openly, and not steal the little thing, as you did. I think five dollars was quite a good sum for that sort of thing.”

“But if you had only told me I might have shared the big one hundred,” persisted Tavia.

“Tavia,” said Dorothy quite severely⁴, “when you do things that seriously concern people, as that did Jake, I can’t see why you expect anything but trouble to come from it. I tell you, it gave me a lot of worry. Suppose Jean, or Cecilia, or some of the other girls, heard about it? You know what they would do, and say.”

“Oh, yes. I would surely have my picture in the Gleaner,” Tavia admitted. “Well, Doro, you got Ned and me out of the scrape, and I thank you for it. I never want to see a small, white silky dog again as long as I live. But will you come over to room ten, and break in? I know Cologne and Annette are conspiring⁵. Jean has her crowd in the music room, no less. She has an idea she can play the banjo. But it sounds to me like one of the things you might hear in a laundry—I mean the tink—tink—tink that the chink—chink—chink plays.”

“Well, they are determined to do something at any rate, and it occurs to me that you might pick147 up your piano work a little closer. We have to take part in the musicale as well as they.”

“No, indeed,” Tavia answered, shaking her already tossed head. “I read the other day that more children become deaf from piano work than from any other cause, and I’ll take no chance. Besides that, I knew a man in Dalton who was almost stone deaf from working in a boiler⁶ factory, and if that music room isn’t worse than a boiler factory I’d like to know it. Well, if you won’t go, I must. I know I’m missing something now,” and she flitted off as if there was but one thing for a girl to do, and that was to enjoy herself.

When there was no danger of her being discovered Dorothy made her way to Zada’s room, and listened at the door. Yes, she was still sobbing⁸ bitterly, and with a whisper, and a slight knock, Dorothy asked to be admitted.

There was the little one—the smallest girl in the school—packing up her things!

“What are you doing, Zada?” asked Dorothy in surprise. “You must not think of leaving school!”

“But I can’t stay,” she sobbed⁹. “I am going to write a letter to Mrs. Pangborn and—I—am going—to run away!”

“Zada! Run away!”

“Yes. I know how to get home if it is away148 down South. And I never would have believed,” she rubbed her eyes, “that there could be such treacherous¹⁰ school girls! If only I had known you better, first.”

It flashed before Dorothy’s mind that the Jean Faval club had perhaps made a tool of this child. But how to remedy it now? How to convince her that even at Glenwood all things might be made right? Had not Dorothy studied to save Tavia from serious trouble through a number of terms? Now Tavia was able, or ought to be able, to take care of herself, and here was poor little Zada rubbing her eyes out!

“I’ll tell you, dear,” Dorothy began, “I have found that some girls cannot get along away from home without keeping up trouble for other girls. They do not mean to have things go so wrong. It’s almost a habit—this plotting and scheming against those of the other sets. Do be sensible, and just rest your head down there, while I hang up your things again. You will feel entirely¹¹ different in the morning.”

The small, dark head did fall back on the pillow, and Dorothy talked cheerily as she put the things in the closet, and closed the trunk.

“Perhaps if I told you,” began Zada, starting to sob⁷ again.

“No, you are not to tell me,” insisted Dorothy. “You have worried enough. If necessary I will ask to have you excused from class to-morrow, so don’t think about your lessons.”
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING, ZADA?” ASKED DOROTHY IN SURPRISE.
Dorothy Dale’s School Rivals Page 147

149 There was something so comforting about Dorothy. Perhaps a great deal of charm came from her pretty personality, for Dorothy was not the sort of girl to “peach,” in the usual sense of the word, and, in spite of that, she did help so much.

“Oh, I do feel better,” admitted Zada. “I guess I was lonely. I can’t bear to go with the other girls, and since I started in with them, I feel I have no right to be with the Glens.”

“Indeed you have, and I am going to see that you join at the very next meeting. The Glens are the originals—the others ‘break out’ every year, as Tavia would say.”

The eyes that were red from tears now looked weary, and Dorothy knew that in a little while perhaps even dreams of her trouble would not disturb Zada. She waited until the Southern girl was ready to retire, and then left her, wondering what could be the worry that would work such havoc¹² in her friend’s mind.

1 ails   

v.生病( ail的第三人称单数 )；感到不舒服；处境困难；境况不佳

参考例句：

• He will not concede what anything ails his business. 他不允许任何事情来干扰他的工作。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Measles ails the little girl. 麻疹折磨着这个小女孩。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

3 crumpled   

adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• She crumpled the letter up into a ball and threw it on the fire. 她把那封信揉成一团扔进了火里。
• She flattened out the crumpled letter on the desk. 她在写字台上把皱巴巴的信展平。

4 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

5 conspiring   

密谋( conspire的现在分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致

参考例句：

• They were accused of conspiring against the king. 他们被指控阴谋反对国王。
• John Brown and his associates were tried for conspiring to overthrow the slave states. 约翰·布朗和他的合伙者们由于密谋推翻实行奴隶制度的美国各州而被审讯。

6 boiler   

n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等)

参考例句：

• That boiler will not hold up under pressure.那种锅炉受不住压力。
• This new boiler generates more heat than the old one.这个新锅炉产生的热量比旧锅炉多。

7 sob   

n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣

参考例句：

• The child started to sob when he couldn't find his mother.孩子因找不到他妈妈哭了起来。
• The girl didn't answer,but continued to sob with her head on the table.那个女孩不回答，也不抬起头来。她只顾低声哭着。

8 sobbing   

<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的

参考例句：

• I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。
• Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。

9 sobbed   

哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说

参考例句：

• She sobbed out the story of her son's death. 她哭诉着她儿子的死。
• She sobbed out the sad story of her son's death. 她哽咽着诉说她儿子死去的悲惨经过。

10 treacherous   

adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的

参考例句：

• The surface water made the road treacherous for drivers.路面的积水对驾车者构成危险。
• The frozen snow was treacherous to walk on.在冻雪上行走有潜在危险。

11 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

12 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。