I suppose Ruggles had stolen it , but there is no use inquiring too closely into these things . Anyhow , that letter just filled the bill . It was beautifully expressed . Ruggles 's sister 's young man must have possessed lots of ability . He was an English professor , something like Micky , so I suppose he was extra good at it . He started in by telling her how much he loved her , and what an angel of beauty and goodness he had always thought her ; how unworthy he felt himself of her and how little hope he had that she could ever care for him ; and he wound up by imploring her to tell him if she could possibly love him a little bit and all that sort of thing . I copied the letter out on heliotrope paper in my best imitation of the Old Fellow 's handwriting and signed it , `` Yours devotedly and imploringly , George Osborne . '' Then we mailed it that very evening . The next evening the Cad girls gave a big reception in the Assembly Hall to an Academy alumna who was visiting the Greek professor 's wife . It was the smartest event of the term and everybody was there -- students and faculty and , of course , Sylvia Grant . Sylvia looked stunning . She was all in white , with a string of pearls about her pretty round throat and a couple of little pink roses in her black hair . I never saw her so smiling and bright ; but she seemed quieter than usual , and avoided poor Micky so skilfully that it was really a pleasure to watch her . The Old Fellow came in late , with his tie all crooked , as it always was ; I saw Sylvia blush and nudged Ruggles to look . `` She 's thinking of the letter , '' he said . Ruggles and I never meant to listen , upon my word we did n't . It was pure accident . We were in behind the flags and palms in the Modern Languages Room , fixing up a plan how to get Em and Jennie off for a moonlit stroll in the grounds -- these things require diplomacy I can tell you , for there are always so many other fellows hanging about -- when in came Sylvia Grant and the Old Fellow arm in arm . The room was quite empty , or they thought it was , and they sat down just on the other side of the flags . They could n't see us , but we could see them quite plainly .
Sylvia still looked smiling and happy , not a bit mad as we had expected , but just kind XXXXX shy and radiant .
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