th a mixture of
pride, and a sort of comic pettishness.

"He has so many poor families on his hands; he and I have been out all
day. Marion you have no idea at all of the places where we have been! I
do think there ought to be an organized system of charity in our church;
something different from the hap-hazard way of doing things that we
have. Mr. Roberts says, that in New York, their church is perfectly
organized to look after certain localities, and that no such thing as
utter destitution can prevail in their section. Don't you think Dr.
Dennis would be interested in such an effort."

"He will be interested in anything that is good," Marion said, with
unusual energy even for her.

Flossy turned her pretty head towards her, and eyed her curiously.

"You like him better than you did; don't you, Marion?"

"Didn't I always like him," Marion asked, with averted face and a laugh
in her voice.

"Oh, you used to think him stiff, and said you felt all shut up in his
presence. Don't you remember our first call at his study?"

"I think I do," Marion answered, bursting into a merry laugh. "Ever so
many things have happened since then, little Flossy!"

"Haven't there!" said innocent Flossy.

"It has been such a wonderful year! dating from that day when it rained
and you _made_ me go, do you remember, Marion? Do you ever get to
wondering what would have been, if we had just stayed on here at home,
going to our parties and getting up festivals, and all that, and paying
no attention to the Chautauqua meetings?"

"I don't want to think about any such horrid retrospect as that!" Marion
said, with a shrug of her handsome shoulders, and a genuine shiver.

Flossy laughed.

"But you know it is only something to think of, to make us more
grateful. It can never _be_, _never_. By the way, I suppose it is early
to begin to make plans for the summer, at least for those who have no
occasion to talk about summer yet;"--this last with a conscious little
laugh--"But don't you mean to go to Chautauqua next summer? Mr. Roberts
and I are going; we would rather give up a journey to Europe than that.
Can't we all contrive to meet there together?"

"Yes," said Marion, "we--_I_ mean to go."

"Dr. Dennis is going," Flossy said, though why that had anything to do
with the matter, or why it occurred to her just then, Flossy did not
know. "He told Mr. Roberts that he meant to be there, and to take with
him as many of his people as he could.