I thought you were having a meeting.

"There's nothing to meet about," said Harry, seating himself on a big
moss-covered root near Kate's swing.

"There will be when the telegraph things come," said Kate.

"Oh, yes, there'll be enough to do then, but it seems as if they were
never coming. And I've been thinking about something, Kate. It strikes
me that, perhaps, it would be better for you to hold only one office."

"Why? Don't I do well enough?" asked Kate, quickly, stopping herself
very suddenly in her swinging.

"Oh, yes! you do better than any one else could. But, you see, the other
fellows--I mean the Board--may think that some of them ought to have
an office. I'd give them one of mine, but none of them would do for
Engineer. They don't know enough about the business."

"Which office would you give up, if you were me?" asked Kate.

"Oh, I'd give up the Secretaryship, of course," said Harry. "Nobody but
you must be Treasurer. Harvey Davis would make a very good Secretary,
considering that there's so little writing to do now."

"Well, then," said Kate, "let Harvey be Secretary."

There was no bitterness or reproachfulness in Kate's words, but she
looked a little serious, and began to swing herself very vigorously. It
was evident that she felt this resignation of her favorite office much
more deeply than she chose to express. And no wonder. She had done all
the work; she had taken a pride in doing her work well, and now, when
the company was about to enter upon its actual public life, she was to
retire into the background. For a Treasurer had not much to do,
especially now that there was so little money. There was scarcely a
paper for the Treasurer to sign. But the Secretary--Well, there was no
use of thinking any more about it. No doubt Harry knew what was best. He
was with the Board every day, and she scarcely ever met the members.

Harry saw that Kate was troubled, but he did not know what to say, and
so he whittled at the root on which he was sitting.

"I should think, Harry," said Kate directly, "that George Purvis would
want to be Secretary. He's just the kind of a boy to like to be an
officer of some kind."

"Oh, he can't be an officer," said Harry, still whittling at the root.
"He has resigned."

"George Purvis resigned!" exclaimed Kate. "Why, what did he do that
for?"

"Oh, we didn't agree," said Harry; "and we're better off without him. We
have Directors enough as it is. Five is a very good nu