“Yes?” His voice was encouraging.

“Well, I’ll tell you the rest, but I hope you won’t say anything about it, for I’d feel pretty cheap if I thought all the Sunday-school folks knew about it.—­You see, the members need such a lot of money now just before Christmas, and so they didn’t pay us up last month, and they haven’t paid anything this month.  And we had to get coal, and feed, and Larkie’s teeth had to be fixed, and Carol was sick, you remember.  Seems to me Lark’s teeth might have been put off until after Christmas, but Prudence says not.—­And so there isn’t any money left, and I can’t have a coat.  But Prudence and Fairy are making me one,—­out of an old coat of father’s!”

Constance paused dramatically.  Mr. Harold never even smiled.  He just nodded understandingly.  “I don’t think I could wear a coat of father’s to church,—­it’s cut down of course, but—­there’s something painful about the idea.  I wouldn’t expect father to wear any of my clothes!  You can see how it is, Mr. Harold.  Just imagine how you would feel wearing your wife’s coat!—­I don’t think I could listen to the sermons.  I don’t believe I could be thankful for the mercy of wearing father’s coat!  I don’t see anything merciful about it.  Do you?”

Mr. Harold did not speak.  He gazed at Connie sympathetically, and shook his head.

“It’s too much, that’s what it is.  And so I thought I’d just have to take things into my own hands and borrow the money.  I can get a good coat for five dollars.  But if the bank is a little short right now, I can get along with four, or even three.  I’d rather have the cheapest coat in town, than one made out of father’s.  Do you think you can let me have it?”

“Yes, indeed we can.”  He seemed to find his voice with an effort.  “Of course we can.  We are very glad to lend our money to responsible people.  We are proud to have your trade.”

“But I must tell you, that it may take me quite a while to pay it back.  Father gives me a nickel a week, and I generally spend it for candy.  There’s another nickel, but it has to go in the collection, so I can’t really count that.  I don’t believe father would let me neglect the heathen, even to pay for a winter coat!  But I will give you the nickel every week, and at that rate I can pay it back in a couple of years easy enough.  But I’d rather give the nickels as fast as I get them.  It’s so hard to keep money when you can get your hand on it, you know.  Sometimes I have quite a lot of money,—­as much as a quarter at a time, from doing errands for the neighbors and things like that.  I’ll pay you as fast as I can.  Will that be all right?  And the interest, too, of course.  How much will the interest be on five dollars?”

“Well, that depends on how soon you repay the money, Connie.  But I’ll figure it out, and tell you later.”

“All right.  I know I can trust you not to cheat me, since you’re a trustee.  So I won’t worry about that.”