“Oh, I wish I’d never said Peter wasn’t fit to associate with,” moaned Felicity.  “If he ever gets better I’ll never say such a thing again—­I’ll never THINK it.  He’s just a lovely boy and twice as smart as lots that aren’t hired out.”

“He was always so polite and good-natured and obliging,” sighed Cecily.

“He was just a real gentleman,” said the Story Girl.

“There ain’t many fellows as fair and square as Peter,” said Dan.

“And such a worker,” said Felix.

“Uncle Roger says he never had a boy he could depend on like Peter,” I said.

“It’s too late to be saying all these nice things about him now,” said the Story Girl.  “He won’t ever know how much we thought of him.  It’s too late.”

“If he gets better I’ll tell him,” said Cecily resolutely.

“I wish I hadn’t boxed his ears that day he tried to kiss me,” went on Felicity, who was evidently raking her conscience for past offences in regard to Peter.  “Of course I couldn’t be expected to let a hir—­to let a boy kiss me.  But I needn’t have been so cross about it.  I might have been more dignified.  And I told him I just hated him.  That wasn’t true, but I s’pose he’ll die thinking it is.  Oh, dear me, what makes people say things they’ve got to be so sorry for afterwards?”

“I suppose if Peter d-d-dies he’ll go to heaven anyhow,” sobbed Cecily.  “He’s been real good all this summer, but he isn’t a church member.”

“He’s a Presbyterian, you know,” said Felicity reassuringly.  Her tone expressed her conviction that that would carry Peter through if anything would.  “We’re none of us church members.  But of course Peter couldn’t be sent to the bad place.  That would be ridiculous.  What would they do with him there, when he’s so good and polite and honest and kind?”

“Oh, I think he’ll be all right, too,” sighed Cecily, “but you know he never did go to church and Sunday School before this summer.”

“Well, his father run away, and his mother was too busy earning a living to bring him up right,” argued Felicity.  “Don’t you suppose that anybody, even God, would make allowances for that?”

“Of course Peter will go to heaven,” said the Story Girl.  “He’s not grown up enough to go anywhere else.  Children always go to heaven.  But I don’t want him to go there or anywhere else.  I want him to stay right here.  I know heaven must be a splendid place, but I’m sure Peter would rather be here, having fun with us.”

“Sara Stanley,” rebuked Felicity.  “I should think you wouldn’t say such things at such a solemn time.  You’re such a queer girl.”

“Wouldn’t you rather be here yourself than in heaven?” said the Story Girl bluntly.  “Wouldn’t you now, Felicity King?  Tell the truth, ’cross your heart.”

But Felicity took refuge from this inconvenient question in tears.

“If we could only DO something to help Peter!” I said desperately.  “It seems dreadful not to be able to do a single thing.”