Mrs. Champ Perry leaned over to stroke her hand and whisper, “You look tired, dearie.  Don’t you talk unless you want to.”

Affection flooded Carol; she was on her feet, searching for words and courtesies: 

“The only thing in the way of suggestion——­I know you are following a definite program, but I do wish that now you’ve had such a splendid introduction, instead of going on with some other subject next year you could return and take up the poets more in detail.  Especially actual quotations—­even though their lives are so interesting and, as Mrs. Warren said, so morally instructive.  And perhaps there are several poets not mentioned today whom it might be worth while considering—­Keats, for instance, and Matthew Arnold and Rossetti and Swinburne.  Swinburne would be such a—­well, that is, such a contrast to life as we all enjoy it in our beautiful Middle-west——­”

She saw that Mrs. Leonard Warren was not with her.  She captured her by innocently continuing: 

“Unless perhaps Swinburne tends to be, uh, more outspoken than you, than we really like.  What do you think, Mrs. Warren?”

The pastor’s wife decided, “Why, you’ve caught my very thoughts, Mrs. Kennicott.  Of course I have never read Swinburne, but years ago, when he was in vogue, I remember Mr. Warren saying that Swinburne (or was it Oscar Wilde? but anyway:) he said that though many so-called intellectual people posed and pretended to find beauty in Swinburne, there can never be genuine beauty without the message from the heart.  But at the same time I do think you have an excellent idea, and though we have talked about Furnishings and China as the probable subject for next year, I believe that it would be nice if the program committee would try to work in another day entirely devoted to English poetry!  In fact, Madame Chairman, I so move you.”

When Mrs. Dawson’s coffee and angel’s-food had helped them to recover from the depression caused by thoughts of Shakespeare’s death they all told Carol that it was a pleasure to have her with them.  The membership committee retired to the sitting-room for three minutes and elected her a member.

And she stopped being patronizing.

She wanted to be one of them.  They were so loyal and kind.  It was they who would carry out her aspiration.  Her campaign against village sloth was actually begun!  On what specific reform should she first loose her army?  During the gossip after the meeting Mrs. George Edwin Mott remarked that the city hall seemed inadequate for the splendid modern Gopher Prairie.  Mrs. Nat Hicks timidly wished that the young people could have free dances there—­the lodge dances were so exclusive.  The city hall.  That was it!  Carol hurried home.

She had not realized that Gopher Prairie was a city.  From Kennicott she discovered that it was legally organized with a mayor and city-council and wards.  She was delighted by the simplicity of voting one’s self a metropolis.  Why not?