bring bedding and towels, and things of that sort. And she
says you can buy milk and vegetables very reasonably of the farmers in
the neighborhood, so it wouldn't be expensive when we divided it up
among us."

"We could do the cooking ourselves," interrupted Peggy.

"Of course. Mrs. Leighton takes up her own servants, but if we found
somebody to do our washing, and scrub us up occasionally, we could
manage the rest."

For half an hour the excited planning went on, and then four
enthusiastic girls separated to subject the enterprise to the more
cautious consideration of fathers and mothers. And that was the end of
listlessness on Friendly Terrace for that hot wave, at least. At almost
any hour of day, one might see a girl running across the street, or
bursting into another girl's house without warning, in order to set
forth some new and brilliant idea which had just popped into her head,
or to ask advice on some perplexing point, or to answer the objections
somebody had raised. Though only four families on the Terrace were
personally interested in the solution of the problem, the whole
neighborhood took it up. It was generally agreed that the girls had
worked hard in school, and were tired, and a summer in what Peggy called
"the sure-enough country" would be the best thing in the world for them
all.

Elaine Marshall, whom Peggy waylaid as she came home from her work, not
long after the plan had been broached, gave it her immediate approval,
pluckily trying to hide her consternation at the thought of Friendly
Terrace without Peggy. But, in spite of her brave fluency, something in
her eyes betrayed her, as she knew when Peggy slipped an arm about her
waist and hugged her remorsefully.

"Now, Peggy Raymond, don't go to being sorry for me, and spoiling your
fun. You mustn't fancy you're so indispensable," she ended with a feeble
laugh.

"If only you had two months' vacation, instead of two weeks," mourned
Peggy.

"I'm lucky to get two weeks, when I've been in your uncle's office such
a little while. And, anyway, Peggy, I couldn't leave home for long as
things are, even if my vacation lasted all summer."

And it really was Elaine Marshall, speaking in that cheery,
matter-of-fact tone, scorning the luxury of self-pity, conquering the
temptation to look on herself as an object of sympathy. Peggy regarded
her with affectionate admiration, quite unaware how important a factor
she herself had been in bringing about a tr