"Oh, he was awful, Allison!" shuddered Leslie. "He smelled of liquor; and he had great, coarse lips and eyes; and he put his arms around her, and kissed her right there before us all; and they acted perfectly disgusting! I'm almost sure from things I heard them say that she hadn't been engaged to him at all, she hadn't even known him till last week. She met him in town--just picked him up on the street! And that Fred Hicks! I don't believe now he was her cousin at all."
"Probably not. But leave that all to the dean. He'll ferret it out. He went in there to the telephone before he left, and from what I heard I imagine he's got detectives out after those two guys, and they may sleep in the lockup to-night. They certainly deserve to. And I shall have a hand in settling with them, too. I can't have my sister treated that way and let it go easily. They've got to answer to me. There, kid!"
He stooped down, and kissed her gently on her hot, wet forehead; and Leslie caught his hand and nestled her own in it.
"O Allison! It's so good to be home!" she murmured, squeezing his hand appreciatively. "I'll never, never, never go with a girl again that you don't like. I'm just going to stick to Jane. She's the only one up there I really love, anyway."
Allison seemed quite satisfied with these sentiments, and they had a beautiful time eating their supper before the fire, for no one had had any appetite before; and Cherry was as pleased to have the anxiety over and wait upon them all as if Leslie had been her own sister.
Into the midst of their little family group broke a hurried, excited knock on the door, and there stood Howard Letchworth with anxious face.
"I heard that your sister and one of the college girls had gone off in a car and got lost. Is it true? I came right around to see if I could help."
Leslie sat up with her teary eyes bright and eager, and her cheeks rosy with pleasure, all her pretty hair in a tumble about her face and the firelight playing over her features in a most charming way.
"Oh, it's awfully good of you," she called eagerly. "But I'm perfectly all right and safe."
He came over to the couch, and took her offered hand most eagerly, expressing his delight, and saying he had been almost sure it was some town gossip, but he could not rest satisfied until he was positive.