in asking him to look up Esther and herself immediately upon his
arrival in New York. How much better had she waited and let Polly make
her confession to their mother later, thus saving all of them
excitement and strain! However, since Billy was still convinced that
he would do the same thing over again in a similar position, Mollie
felt her own uncertainty vanish.

"No, there isn't anything you can help about this afternoon," she
replied. "I am only going to a monthly meeting of our Council Fire.
The girls told me that if I liked I need not come, yet it seems almost
cowardly to stay away. For you see Polly has insisted that we talk
over her conduct and decide whether or not we wish her to remain a
member of our club. Or at least whether some of her honor beads should
be taken from her and her rank reduced. There is a good deal of
difference of opinion. For some of the girls are convinced that once
our honor beads are lawfully won, nothing and no one has the right to
take them from us; while others feel that breaking the law of the Camp
Fire should render one unworthy of a high position in the Council and
that even though one is not asked to resign, at least one should be
relegated to the ranks again. But of course all this is a secret and
must never be spoken of except in our club."

"Like an officer stripped of his epaulettes," Billy murmured. And
afterwards: "See here, Mollie, if this is a club secret then you ought
not to have told me and I ought not to have listened. For it is pretty
rough on Polly. But I promise not to mention it and will try to
forget. We must not make her any more down upon me than she is
already."

The young man and girl had now come to the Ashton front gate, and as
they stopped, Billy gave the book to Mollie and could not forbear
patting her encouragingly upon the coat sleeve. She looked so gentle
and worried. Polly always seemed to be getting her into hot water
without really intending that Mollie should be made to suffer.

"It will turn out all right, I am sure," he insisted in a convincing
tone. "Your sister will always have too many friends to let things go
much against her in this world."

Mollie found that the other girls had already assembled in the Ashton
drawing room and, as she was late, the camp fire had been laid and
lighted, following the same ceremony as if it had taken place outdoors.

The members were all present excepting Polly, who had declined coming
do