n all this time?"

"I'm only twenty," said Maggie. They certainly thought it strange of
her to confess to her age like that. "At home father never had any
Committees, he did it all himself, or rather didn't do it."

Mrs. Constantine shook her head. "We must all help you," she said.
"You're very young, my dear, for the responsibilities of this parish."

"Yes, I am," said Maggie frankly. "And I'll be very glad of anything
you can tell me. But you mustn't let me be Treasurer or Secretary of
anything. I should never answer any of the letters, and I should
probably spend all the money myself."

"My dear, you shouldn't say such things even as a joke," said Mrs.
Constantine.

"But it isn't a joke," said Maggie. "I'm terribly muddleheaded, and
I've no idea of money at all. Paul's going to teach me."

Paul smiled nervously.

"Maggie will soon fit into our ways," he said.

"I'm sure she will." said Mrs. Constantine very kindly, but as though
she were speaking to a child of ten.

The bell rang and Mr. Flaunders the curate came in. He was very young,
very earnest, and very enthusiastic. He adored Paul. He told Maggie
that he thought that he was the very luckiest man in the world for
having, so early in his career, so wonderful a man as Paul to work
under. He had also adored Grace, but very quickly showed signs of
transferring that adoration to Maggie.

"Miss Trenchard's splendid," he said. "I do admire her so, but you'll
be a great help to us all. I'm so glad you've come."

"Why, how do you know?" asked Maggie. "You've only seen me for about
two minutes."

"Ah, one can tell," said Mr. Flaunders, sighing.

Maggie liked his enthusiasm, but she couldn't help wishing that his
knees wouldn't crack at unexpected moments, that he wasn't quite so
long and thin, and that he wouldn't leave dried shaving-soap under his
ears and in his nostrils. She was puzzled, too, that Paul should be so
obviously pleased with the rather naif adoration. "Paul likes you to
praise him," she thought a little regretfully.

So, for the moment, these people, the house and the Church, fitted in
her World. For the rest of the fortnight she was so busy that she never
went on to the beach nor into the woods. She shopped every morning,
feeling very old and grown-up, she went to tea with Mrs. Constantine
and Mrs. Maxse, and she sat on Paul's knee whenever she thought that he
would like her to. She sat on Paul's knee, but that did not mean that,
in real