The one stupendous fact that stood out in her brain as she walked homeward was that Gloria and Professor Pendragon would meet. What would they do? Would Pendragon leave or would Gloria come back to town? What would they say to each other? How amazing that Mr. Peyton-Russell should be a friend of Pendragon’s and that Angela should be a friend of Gloria’s and that they had never before all met. Still it was understandable. Angela had only been married a year. George would be there, too, and Prince Aglipogue. She thought of Pendragon’s tall, clean-cut figure and fine face, and of Aglipogue’s heavy countenance and elephantine form—the contrast. Surely Gloria would see and withdraw before too late. It would be, too, the time of test—the dark of the moon. CHAPTER XII It had been planned that they would all take the morning train together for North Adams, Gloria and Ruth, Terry and Prince Aglipogue and George, but Gloria, despite her motion picture experience, proved unequal to the early rising. “It’s no use,” she explained to Ruth, who went to her room to wake her. “I simply can’t get up this early in the morning. You go on and meet Aggie and Terry at the station and tell them that I’m coming up on the sleeper tonight. Tell George to go along, too, just as he planned. He’s got his ticket and will take care of your luggage and the others’, and everything will go just as we planned it except that I’ll show up tomorrow morning.” “Suppose there isn’t any sleeping train?” “There will be; anyway as far as Pittsfield. Do go down and tell George and explain to Angela when you get there.” What the trip would have been had Gloria not decided to wait for the night train, Ruth could not guess. What it was was most unexpected. George, being first told, was the first person to show sulky displeasure at Gloria’s decision. For a moment Ruth thought that he was actually going to knock on Gloria’s door and remonstrate with her, but even George dared not do that, so instead he preceded Ruth to the station, heavily laden with boxes and bags. He was there when she arrived, as was also Terry, who laughed without any apparent regret at Gloria’s revolt. “I rather hated to get up myself,” he said, “but a holiday is a holiday, and it’s part of the game to climb out of bed from one to ten hours earlier than usual. Besides, think how tired we’ll be tonight and what wonderful sleep we’ll get up there in the fresh air. There’ll be lots of snow, too. A few flakes fell here this morning, and that means that up in the mountains it will be thick and wonderful. I only hope it won’t be too cold.” “Here comes Prince Aglipogue,” said Ruth.