“Madam President, I move that Ethel Brown be appointed a committee of one to see our Teutonic friends and work up their sympathies over the women and children we want to help so that they just can’t resist helping too.  Is your eloquence equal to that strain, Ethel?”

Ethel thought it was, and promised to go the very next afternoon.  The discussion turned to the next step to take.

“Grandfather’s superintendent is going to move into the new cottage next week,” was Roger’s news, “so then we can go over the old house and see how it is arranged and decide how we’d like to change it.”

“And also find out just what furniture is left and draw up a list of what furniture we shall need.”

“Had we better appoint committees for making the different investigations?” inquired Tom, who was accustomed to the methods of a city church.

“Later, perhaps,” decided Helen.  “At first I think we all want to know the whole situation and then we can make our plans to fit, and special people can volunteer for special work if we think it can be done best that way.”

“It’s a great old plan you have there, Roger,” cried Tom, thumping his friend affectionately on the shoulder.  “I bow to your giant intellect.  We’ll do our best to make it a success.”

CHAPTER II

MOYA AND SHEILA

Elisabeth of Belgium was walking sturdily now on the legs that had been too weak to uphold her when she first came to Rosemont in November.  Her increasing strength was an increasing delight to all the people who loved her—­and there was no one who knew her who did not love her—­but her activity obliged her caretakers to be incessantly on the alert.  Miss Merriam, the skilled young woman from the School of Mothercraft, who had pulled her through her period of greatest feebleness, now found herself sometimes quite outdone by the energy of her little charge.

The Ethels were always glad to relieve her of her responsibilities for an hour or two, and it was the afternoon of the day after Roger had reported his plan to the Club that found the cousins strolling down Church Street, “Ayleesabet” between them, clinging to a finger of each, not to help her stand upright but to serve as a pair of supports from which she might swing herself off the ground.

“See!  She lifted her whole weight then!” exclaimed Ethel Blue.  “We shall have to give up calling her ‘baby’ soon.  She’s becoming an acrobat!”

“It’s all due to Miss Merriam.  I wish she didn’t look so tired the last few days.”

Ethel Blue made no reply.  She guessed something of the reason that had made Miss Gertrude appear distressed and silent.  A certain note that she herself had placed in a May basket and hung on Miss Merriam’s door might have something to do with her appearance of anxiety.  She changed the subject as a measure of precaution, for she had been in the confidence of Dr. Watkins, the elder brother of Tom and Delia and a warm admirer of Miss Merriam’s, and she did not want the conversation to run into channels where she might have to answer inconvenient questions.