“Why, if we—­or Edward—­could make her get a grip on herself and control herself that would be like Mr. Emerson’s digging up the daisies.  It would be hard work and an awfully slow process.  But if we also could fill her mind with thoughts about working for her children and trying to make other people happy and with making embroidery which she loves to do, why wouldn’t it help?  These new things she’s thinking about would be like the strong, new grass seed that didn’t give the weeds a chance to grow.”

Dorothy stared seriously at Ethel Blue.

“She does perfectly beautiful embroidery,” she said slowly, as she tried to think out a way to put Ethel Blue’s suggestion into effect.  “Do you suppose she’d be willing to teach us how to do it?  That beautiful Italian cut work, you know.  If we should call ourselves a class and ask her to teach us it might give her something quite new to think about.”

“I’d like to learn, too,” agreed Ethel Blue.  “I heard Mother say once that there was a school in New York for Italian lace work.  Let’s get Delia to find out about it, and when Mrs. Paterno grows stronger and goes back to the city she might go there.  They have a shop uptown where they sell the pupils’ work.  The class here and the prospect of having regular employment when she went back—­”

“Work she likes.”

“What are you youngsters plotting?” asked the cheerful voice of Grandfather Emerson, who came around the big oak from the grass grown lane so quietly that they did not hear him coming.

They told him their plan, and he listened intently.

“The poor little woman has had such a shock that it will be a long time before she can control herself, I’m afraid,” he responded sympathetically, “but I believe you’ve hit on the right way.”

“Then we’ll get Edward Watkins to ask her whether she’ll be willing to teach a class, and we’ll all join it.”

“The other women might like to learn, too.”

“Perhaps they could teach.  Bulgarian embroidery has been fashionable lately, you know, and the peasant women do it.”

“Your grandmother and I went through a Peasant’s Bazar when we were in Petrograd and there were mounds of embroidery there that the peasant women had made.”

“The Swedes do beautiful work.  Why don’t we have a class for international embroidery?” laughed Dorothy.  “I think Mother would like to learn the Russian; she’s crazy about Russian music and everything Russian.”

“We’ll ask Mother and Grandmother, too, and perhaps the Miss Clarks would come and the women could charge a fee and make a little money teaching us and be amused themselves.”

“I dare say it will do the others good as well as the little Italian.  You’ve hit on something that will benefit all of them while you were trying to help Mrs. Paterno,” surmised Mr. Emerson.  “What I came over here this morning to see you about was this,” he went on in a business-like tone that made them look at him attentively.  “Grandmother and I think that Mrs. Paterno has been a trifle too exciting for you young people the last few days.  We think you need a change of thought as well as that young woman herself.”