“I’m thinking, mother, of a real warm little corner!  Something that would just fit in and make everything so nice.  It was put into my head last night, and I think it was sent on purpose; it came right up behind me so.  Mrs. Lewis Marchbanks and Jeannie Hadden praised my playing; more than I could tell you, really; and Mrs. Marchbanks wants a—­” Ruth stopped, and laughed at the word that was coming—­“lady-teacher for Lily, and so does Mrs. Hadden for Reba.  There, mother.  It’s in your head now!  Please turn it over with a nice little think, and tell me you would just as lief, and that you believe perhaps I could!”

By this time Ruth was round behind Mrs. Holabird’s chair, with her two hands laid against her cheeks.  Mrs. Holabird leaned her face down upon one of the hands, holding it so, caressingly.

“I am sure you could, Ruthie.  But I am sure I wouldn’t just as lief!  I would liefer you should have all you need without.”

“I know that, mother.  But it wouldn’t be half so good for me!”

“That’s something horrid, I know!” exclaimed Barbara, coming in upon the last word.  “It always is, when people talk about its being good for them.  It’s sure to be salts or senna, and most likely both.”

“O dear me!” said Ruth, suddenly seized with a new perception of difficulty.  Until now, she had only been considering whether she could, and if Mrs. Holabird would approve. “Don’t you—­or Rose—­call it names, Barbara, please, will you?”

“Which of us are you most afraid of?  For Rosamond’s salts and senna are different from mine, pretty often.  I guess it’s hers this time, by your putting her in that anxious parenthesis.”

“I’m afraid of your fun, Barbara, and I’m afraid of Rosamond’s—­”

“Earnest?  Well, that is much the more frightful.  It is so awfully quiet and pretty-behaved and positive.  But if you’re going to retain me on your side, you’ll have to lay the case before me, you know, and give me a fee.  You needn’t stand there, bribing the judge beforehand.”

Ruth turned right round and kissed Barbara.

“I want you to go with me and see if Mrs. Hadden and Mrs. Lewis Marchbanks would let me teach the children.”

“Teach the children!  What?”

“O, music, of course.  That’s all I know, pretty much.  And—­make Rose understand.”

“Ruth, you’re a duck!  I like you for it!  But I’m not sure I like it.”

“Will you do just those two things?”

“It’s a beautiful programme.  But suppose we leave out the first part?  I think you could do that alone.  It would spoil it if I went.  It’s such a nice little spontaneous idea of your own, you see.  But if we made it a regular family delegation—­besides, it will take as much as all me to manage the second.  Rosamond is very elegant to-day.  Last night’s twilight isn’t over.  And it’s funny we’ve plans too; we’re going to give lessons,—­differently; we’re going to lead off, for once,—­we Holabirds; and I don’t know exactly how the music will chime in.  It may make things—­Holabirdy.”