why we should spoil the bazaar
to spare her feelings!" returned Alice bluntly.

"I don't want to spoil the bazaar. I only thought we might do it some
other way that wouldn't hurt her pride."

"What nonsense! People oughtn't to have such ridiculous pride!"
expostulated Gladys Merriman. "I think Alice's idea is a good one. I'll
vote for it if she proposes it properly."

"But surely you wouldn't like it yourself--" began Hetty.

"Hush! Here's Gipsy!" said Dilys hastily.

Neither Alice nor Gladys bore any special love for Gipsy, and they were
not particularly desirous to spare her the unpleasantness of an open
confession of her inability to make her contribution. Perhaps it was
with a spice of malice that Alice rose immediately and offered her
suggestion.

"Each girl could surely undertake at least three articles--that ought to
be the minimum--and as many more as she's capable of doing," she said in
conclusion.

There was a moment's pause in the room. On the face of it, Alice's
proposal was excellent. Everybody felt it ought to be carried out, but
many shared Hetty's motive in objecting to it. It was Lennie Chapman who
saved the situation.

"I beg to propose an amendment," she put in quickly, "that, instead of
each girl promising things separately, we may be allowed to form
ourselves into working trios. Three of us could promise a dozen articles
between us, to be made just as we like, all stitching at the same piece
of embroidery if the fancy took us--just joint work, in fact. We'd spur
each other on in that way, and get far more finished than if we did it
singly."

"Excellent!" commented Dilys. "Who votes for the amendment?"

It was carried by half the Form, much to Lennie's relief. She and Hetty
promptly proposed to form a trio with Gipsy, and were thus able to
rescue her from rather a difficult position.

"But I haven't even a skein of embroidery silk!" sighed Gipsy afterwards
to them in private.

"Never mind! Hetty and I can get the silks, and you shall do some extra
work to make it square. We shall be exactly quits in that way. You can
do all the painting part, too, on those blotters; you paint far better
than either of us. My flowers are always scrawny, and yours are lovely.
There's an enormous advantage in working threesomes!"

"Yes, for me!" said Gipsy gratefully.

There are some unworthy natures who cannot resist the temptation of
kicking anyone who is down. It was very quickly realized at Briarcr