-committees to do the
actual work. For herself and Conny and Priscilla she reserved the
privilege of choosing the recipients of St. Ursula's bounty. This
entailed several exhilarating afternoons out of bounds. A walk abroad is
as inspiring to the inmates of a prison as a trip through Europe to
those at large. They spent the better part of a week canvassing the
neighborhood, only to reveal the embarrassing fact that there were nine
possible children, aside from the Murphy brood, and that none of these
nine were from homes that one could conscientiously term poor. The
children's sober industrious parents could well supply their temperate
Christmas demands.

"And there are only six Murphys the right age," Conny grumbled, as they
turned homewards in the cold twilight of a wintry day, after an
unprofitable two hours' tramp.

"That makes about one child to every five girls," Priscilla nodded
dismally.

"Oh, this charity business makes me tired!" Patty burst out. "It's fun
for the girls, and nothing else. The way we dole out stuff to perfectly
nice people, is just plain insulting. If anybody poked a pink tarlatan
stocking full of candy at me, and said it was because I'd been a good
little girl, I'd throw it in their face."

In moments of intensity, Patty's English was not above reproach.

"Come on, Patty," Priscilla slipped a soothing hand through her arm,
"we'll stop in at the Murphys' and count 'em over again. Maybe there's
one we overlooked."

"The twins are only fifteen," said Conny hopefully. "I think they'll
do."

"And Richard Harding's nearly four. He's old enough to enjoy a tree. The
more Murphys we can get the better. They always love the things we
give."

"I know they do!" Patty growled. "We're teaching the whole lot of them
to be blooming beggars--I shall be sorry I ever used any slang, if we
can't put the money to better use than this."

The funds for the carnival were yearly furnished by a tax on slang. St.
Ursula demanded a fine of one cent for every instance of slang or bad
grammar let fall in public. Of course, in the privacy of one's own room,
in the bosom of one's chosen family, the rigor was relaxed. Your dearest
friends did not report you--except in periods of estrangement. But your
acquaintances and enemies and teachers did, and even, in moments of
intense honorableness, you reported yourself. In any case, the slang
fund grew. When the committee had opened the box this year, they found
thirty-