“By the way,” said Grace, after they had returned to the sitting room and were comfortably settled, “you never said one word about my freshman prize girl.  I thought you would be awfully interested in her.  For the benefit of the new members, I will say that this society was organized with a definite object, that of helping others.  We are to look after girls who have no one to make things pleasant or happy for them.  Why, do you know that there are quite a number of girls attending High School who come from other places, and who have to spend the holidays at their boarding houses without any fun at all?  Look at this poor, little Allison girl.  She works for her board in the winter, and in the mill in the summer, and now that miserable Miss Brant is going to take her out of school, and she is getting along so well, too.”

“Isn’t it a pity,” said Anne, “that people like her can’t understand that if a girl were allowed to finish her education, she could earn so much more in the long run than she could by working year after year in a mill?”

“We might go to Miss Brant and explain that to her,” said Nora.  “Perhaps she would listen to us.”

“I don’t believe so,” replied Grace.  “Besides, she might be very angry and take her spite out on poor Mabel.  If we could only get Mabel away from her.  But if she has legally adopted her we couldn’t do anything.  Besides, where would she go if we did get her away?”

“I’ll tell you what I’ll do,” said Jessica thoughtfully.  “I’ll ask papa about it.  Lawyers always know everything about such things.  Maybe he could find out if Miss Brant has any real claim upon her.”

“That’s a good idea,” said Miriam Nesbit.  “If we can get her away from that hateful old wretch, the sorority could adopt her.  She could stay with each one of us for a month.  That would be eight months, and at the end of that time she would have finished her sophomore year.  Then she could get something pleasant to do through the summer vacation.  That would give her some money for clothes for next year.  Perhaps by that time we could find some nice people for her to stay with, or if we liked her well enough, we could go on having her with us.  I’ll ask my mother to-morrow, and you girls might do the same.”

“Miriam Nesbit, what a perfectly lovely plan!” exclaimed Grace Harlowe with rapture.  “I feel sure mother would let me have her.”

“She can come here any time,” said Jessica.  “Papa allows me to do as I like.”

“‘First catch your bird,’” said Nora wisely.  “Don’t plan too much, until you find out whether you can snatch her from the dragon’s claws.”

“I feel sure we shall win,” replied Grace confidently.  “What do you girls think of it?” she asked, turning to Eva, Marian and Eleanor, who had so far expressed no opinion.

“Count us in,” said Eva and Marian in a breath.

“And you, Eleanor?” asked Grace.

“She can live at our house forever, if she doesn’t disturb me,” replied Eleanor lazily.  “My aunt won’t care, either.  When we lived in Spain she used to help every beggar we came across, and Spain is a land of beggars.  She never can resist an appeal for charity.”