So there it is and here we are, and a nice failure our concert will
be."
Rilla went home and shut herself up in her room, her soul in a turmoil.
She would not humiliate herself by apologizing to Irene Howard! Irene
had been as much in the wrong as she had been; and she had told such
mean, distorted versions of their quarrel everywhere, posing as a
puzzled, injured martyr. Rilla could never bring herself to tell her
side of it. The fact that a slur at Walter was mixed up in it tied her
tongue. So most people believed that Irene had been badly used, except a
few girls who had never liked her and sided with Rilla. And yet--the
concert over which she had worked so hard was going to be a failure.
Mrs. Channing's four solos were the feature of the whole programme.
"Miss Oliver, what do you think about it?" she asked in desperation.
"I think Irene is the one who should apologize," said Miss Oliver. "But
unfortunately my opinion will not fill the blanks in your programme."
"If I went and apologized meekly to Irene she would sing, I am sure,"
sighed Rilla. "She really loves to sing in public. But I know she'll be
nasty about it--I feel I'd rather do anything than go. I suppose I
should go--if Jem and Jerry can face the Huns surely I can face Irene
Howard, and swallow my pride to ask a favour of her for the good of the
Belgians. Just at present I feel that I cannot do it but for all that I
have a presentiment that after supper you'll see me meekly trotting
through Rainbow Valley on my way to the Upper Glen Road.
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