第6章

saidMolly,astheancienthandmaidemptiedherfourthcupoftea,forshedinedwiththefamily,andenjoyedherowngoodcookinginitsprime。

"Whatareyougoingtowashnow？"

"Boo——I\'msureheneedsitenough";andMollycouldnothelplaughingasthevictimaddedtohisbrilliantappearancebysmearingthecolorsalltogetherwitharuboftwogrimyhands,makingafineTurner,ofhimself。

"Now,MariaLouisaBemis,youain\'tgoingtocutupnocaperswiththatchild！Theideaofahotbathinthemiddleoftheday,andhimfullofdinner,andcroupyintothebargain~Wetacornerofatowelatthekettle—spoutandpolishhimoffifyoulike,butyouwon\'triskhislifeinnobath—tubsthiscoldday。"

MissBat\'swordwaslawinsomethings,soMollyhadtosubmit,andtookBooaway,saying,loftily,asshelefttheroom,"Ishallaskfather,anddoitto—night,forIwillnothavemybrotherlooklikeapig。"

"Mypatience！howtheSiamesedoleavetheirthingsround,"sheexclaimed,asshesurveyedherroomaftermakingupthefireandpolishingoffBoo。"I\'llputthingsinorder,andthenmendupmyrags,ifIcanfindmythimble。Now,letmesee";andshewenttoexploringhercloset,bureau,andtable,findingsuchdisordereverywherethathercouragenearlygaveout。

Shehadclothesenough,butallneededcare;evenherbestdresshadtwobuttonsoff,andherSundayhatbutonestring。Shoes,skirts,books,andtoyslayabout,andherdrawerswereaperfectchaosofsoiledruffles,oddgloves,oldribbons,bootlacings,andbitsofpaper。

"Oh,myheart,whatamuddle！Mrs。Minotwouldn\'tthinkmuchofmeifshecouldseethat,"saidMolly,recallinghowthatladyoncesaidshecouldjudgeagooddealofalittlegirl\'scharacterandhabitsbyapeepathertopdrawer,andwenton,withgreatsuccess,toguesshoweachoftheschool—mateskeptherdrawer。

"Come,missionary,clearup,anddon\'tletmefindsuchagloryholeagain,orI\'llreportyoutothesociety,"saidMolly,tippingthewholedrawer—fulloutuponthebed,andbeguilingthetiresomejobbykeepingupthenewplay。

Twilightcamebeforeitwasdone,andagreatpileofthingsloomeduponhertable,withnovisiblemeansofrepair——forMolly\'swork—basketwasfullofnuts,andherthimbledownaholeintheshed—floor,wherethecatshaddroppeditintheirplay。

"I\'llaskBatforhooksandtape,andpapaforsomemoneytobuyscissorsandthings,forIdon\'tknowwheremineare。GladIcan\'tdoanymorenow！Beingneatissuchhardwork！"andMollythrewherselfdownontherugbesidetheoldwoodencradleinwhichBoowasblissfullyrocking,withacargooftoysaboard。

Shewatchedhertime,andassoonasherfatherhaddonesupper,shehastenedtosay,beforehegottohisdesk,"Please,papa,IwantadollartogetsomebrassbuttonsandthingstofixBoo\'sclotheswith。HeworeaholeinhisnewtrouserscoastingdowntheKembles\'steps。Andcan\'tIwashhim？Heneedsit,andMissBatwon\'tletmehaveatub。"

"Certainly,child,certainly;dowhatyoulike,onlydon\'tkeepme。I

mustbeoff,orIshallmissJackson,andhe\'sthemanIwant";and,throwingdowntwodollarsinsteadofone,Mr。Bemishurriedaway,withavagueimpressionthatBoohadswallowedadozenbrassbuttons,andMissBathadbeencoastingsomewhereinabath—pan;butcatchingJacksonwasimportant,sohedidnotstoptoinvestigate。

Armedwiththepaternalpermission,Mollycarriedherpoint,andoh,whatadreadfuleveningpoorBoospent！First,hewasdecoyedupstairsanhourtoosoon,thenputinatubbymainforceandsternlyscrubbed,inspiteofshrieksthatbroughtMissBattothelockeddoortocondolewiththesufferer,scoldthescrubber,anddepart,darklyprophesyingcroupbeforemorning。

"Healwayshowlswhenheiswashed;butIshalldoit,sinceyouwon\'t,andhemustgetusedtoit。Iwillnothavepeopletellmehe\'sneglected,ifIcanhelpit,"criedMolly,workingawaywithtearsinhereyes——foritwasashardforherasforBoo;butshemeanttobethoroughforonceinherlife,nomatterwhathappened。

Whentheworstwasover,shecoaxedhimwithcandyandstoriestillthelongtaskofcombingoutthecurlswassafelydone;then,inthecleannight—gownwithabluebuttonnewlysewedon,shelaidhiminbed,wornout,butsweetasarose。

"Now,sayyourprayers,darling,andgotosleepwiththeniceredblanketalltuckedroundsoyouwon\'tgetcold,"saidMolly,ratherdoubtfuloftheeffectofthewethead。

"No,Iwon\'t！Goingtosleepnow！"andBooshuthiseyeswearily,feelingthathislatetrialshadnotlefthiminaprayerfulmood。

"Thenyou\'llbeareallittleheathen,asMrs。Pecqcalledyou,andI

don\'tknowwhatIshalldowithyou,"saidMolly,longingtocuddleratherthanscoldthelittlefellow,whosesoulneededlookingafteraswellashisbody。

"No,no;Iwon\'tbeaheevin！Idon\'twanttobefrowedtothetrockindiles。Iwillsaymyprayers！oh,Iwill！"and,risinginhisbed,Boodidso,withthedevotionofaninfantSamuel,forherememberedthetalkwhenthesocietywasformed。

Mollythoughtherlaborswereoverforthatnight,andsoonwenttobed,tiredwithherfirstattempts。Buttowardmorningshewaswakenedbythehoarsebreathingoftheboy,andwasforcedtopatterawaytoMissBat\'sroom,humblyaskingforthesquills,andconfessingthattheprophecyhadcometopass。

"Iknewit！Bringthechildtome,anddon\'tfret。I\'llseetohim,andnexttimeyoudoasIsay,"wastheconsolingwelcomeshereceivedastheoldladypoppedupasleepybutanxiousfaceinalargeflannelcap,andshookthebottlewiththeairofageneralwhohadroutedthefoebeforeandmeanttodoitagain。

LeavingherlittleresponsibilityinMissBat\'sarms,Mollytiredtowetherpillowwithafewremorsefultears,andtofallasleep,wonderingifrealmissionarieseverkilledtheirpupilsintheprocessofconversion。

Sothegirlsallfailedinthebeginning;buttheydidnotgiveup,andsucceededbetternexttime,asweshallsee。

Chapter9TheDebatingClub"Lookhere,oldman,weoughttohaveameeting。Holidaysareover,andwemustbraceupandattendtobusiness,"saidFranktoGus,astheystrolledoutoftheschoolyardoneafternooninJanuary,apparentlyabsorbedinconversation,butinrealitywaitingforabluecloudandascarletfeathertoappearonthesteps。

"Allright。When,where,andwhat？"askedGus,whowasamanoffewwords。

"To—night,ourhouse,subject,\'Shallgirlsgotocollegewithus？\'

Mothersaidwehadbetterbemakingupourminds,becauseeveryoneistalkingaboutit,andweshallhavetobeononesideortheother,sowemayaswellsettleitnow,"answeredFrank,fortherewasanimpressionamongthemembersthatallvexedquestionswouldbemuchhelpedbytheunitedeloquenceandwisdomoftheclub。

"Verygood;I\'llpassthewordandbethere。Hullo,Neddy！TheD。

C。meetsto—night,atMinot\'s,sevensharp。Co—ed,&c。,"addedGus,losingnotime,asathirdboycamebrisklyroundthecorner,withalittlebaginhishand。

"I\'llcome。Gothomeanhourearlierto—night,andthoughtI\'dlookyouupasIwentby,"respondedEdDevlin,ashetookpossessionofthethirdpost,withaglancetowardtheschoolhousetoseeifaseal—skincap,withalong,yellowbraiddependingtherefrom,wasanywhereinsight。

"Verygoodofyou,I\'msure,"saidGus,ironically,notabitdeceivedbythispoliteattention。

"Thelongestwayroundissometimestheshortestwayhome,hey,Ed？"andFrankgavehimaplayfulpokethatnearlysenthimoffhisperch。

Thentheyalllaughedatsomejokeoftheirown,andGusadded,"Nogirlscomingtohearusto—night。Don\'tthinkit,myson。

"More\'sthepity,"andEdshookhisheadregretfullyoverthedownfallofhishopes。

"Can\'thelpit;theotherfellowssaytheyspoilthefun,sowehavetogivein,sometimes,forthesakeofpeaceandquietness。Don\'tmindhavingthemabitmyself,"saidFrank,insuchatoneofcheerfulresignationthattheylaughedagain,forthe"Triangle,"asthethreechumswerecalled,alwaysmademerrymusic。

"Wemusthaveagamepartynextweek。Thegirlslikethat,andsodoI,"candidlyobservedGus,whosepleasantparlorswerethesceneofmanysuchfrolics。

"Andsodoyoursistersandyourcousinsandyouraunts,"hummedEd,forGuswasoftencalledAdmiralbecausehereallydidpossessthreesisters,twocousins,andfouraunts,besidesmotherandgrandmother,alllivinginthebighousetogether。

Theboyspromptlyjoinedinthepopularchorus,andothervoicesallabouttheyardtookitup,forthe"Pinafore"epidemicragedfearfullyinHarmonyVillagethatwinter。

"How\'sbusiness？"askedGus,whenthesongended,forEdhadnotreturnedtoschoolintheautumn,buthadgoneintoastoreinthecity。

"Dull;thingswilllookuptowardspring,theysay。Igetonwellenough,butImissyoufellowsdreadfully";andEdputahandonthebroadshoulderofeachfriend,asifhelongedtobeaschool—boyagain。

"Bettergiveitupandgotocollegewithmenextyear,"saidFrank,whowaspreparingforBostonUniversity,whileGusfittedforHarvard。

"No;I\'vechosenbusiness,andImeantosticktoit,sodon\'tyouunsettlemymind。HaveyoupractisedthatMarch？"askedEd,turningtoagayersubject,forhehadhislittletroubles,butalwayslookedonthebrightsideofthings。

"Skatingissogood,Idon\'tgetmuchtime。Comeearly,andwe\'llhaveaturnatit。"

"Iwill。Mustrunhomenow。"

"Prettycoldloafinghere。"

"Mailisinbythistime。"

Andwiththeseartlessexcusesthethreeboysleapedofftheposts,asifonespringmovedthem,asagroupofgirlscamechatteringdownthepath。ThebluecloudfloatedawaybesideFrank,thescarletfeathermarchedoffwiththeAdmiral,whilethefurcapnoddedtothegrayhatastwohappyfacessmiledateachother。

Thesamethingoftenhappened,fortwicea—daythestreetswerefullofyoungcoupleswalkingtoandfromschooltogether,smiledatbytheelders,andlaughedatbythelesssusceptibleboysandgirls,whowentaloneortroopedalonginnoisygroups。Theprudentmothershadtriedtostopthisguilelesscustom,butfounditverydifficult,asthefathersusuallysympathizedwiththeirsons,anddismissedthematterwiththecomfortablephrase,"Nevermind;boyswillbeboys。""Notforever,"returnedtheanxiousmammas,seeingthetallladsdailygrowmoremanly,andtheprettydaughtersfastlearningtolookdemurewhencertainnameswerementioned。

Itcouldnotbestoppedwithoutgreatparentalsternnessandthedangerofdeceit,forco—educationwillgoonoutsideofschoolifnotinside,andthesafestwayistoletsentimentandstudygohandinhand,withteachersandparentstodirectandexplainthegreatlessonallarethebetterforlearningsoonorlate。Sotheeldershadtogivein,acknowledgingthatthissuddenreadinesstogotoschoolwasacomfort,thatthenewsortofgentleemulationworkedwondersinlazygirlsandboys,andthatwatchingthese"primrosefriendships"bud,blossom,anddiepainlessdeaths,gavealittletouchofromancetotheirownwork—a—daylives。

"OnthewholeI\'dratherhavemysonswalking,playing,andstudyingwithbright,well—manneredgirls,thanalwaysknockingaboutwithroughboys,"saidMrs。MinotatoneoftheMothers\'

Meetings,wherethegoodladiesmettotalkovertheirchildren,andhelponeanothertodotheirdutybythem。

"IfindthatGusismoregentlewithhissisterssinceJuliettookhiminhand,forhewantstostandwellwithher,andtheyreporthimifhetroublesthem。Ireallyseenoharminthelittlefriendship,thoughIneverhadanysuchwhenIwasagirl,"saidMrs。Burton,whoadoredheroneboyandwashisconfidante。

"MyMerryseemstobecontentedwithherbrotherssofar,butI

shouldn\'twonderifIhadmyhandsfullbyandby,"addedMrs。

Grant,whoalreadyforesawthathersweetlittledaughterwouldbesoughtafterassoonassheshouldlengthenherskirtsandturnupherbonnybrownhair。

MollyLoohadnomothertosayawordforher,butshesettledmattersforherselfbyholdingfasttoMerry,anddeclaringthatshewouldhavenoescortbutfaithfulBoo。

Itisnecessarytodwellamomentuponthisnewamusement,becauseitwasnotpeculiartoHarmonyVillage,butappearseverywhereasnaturallyasthegamepartiesandcroquetwhichhavetakentheplaceofthehuskingfrolicsandapple—beesofoldentimes,anditisimpossibletododgethesubjectifoneattemptstowriteofboysandgirlsastheyreallyarenowadays。

"Here,myhero,seehowyoulikethis。Ifitsuits,youwillbereadytomarchassoonasthedoctorgivestheword,"saidRalph,comingintotheBirdRoomthateveningwithaneatlittlecrutchunderhisarm。

"Ha,ha,thatlooksfine！I\'dliketotryitrightoff,butIwon\'ttillI

getleave。Didyoumakeityourself,Ral？"askedJack,handlingitwithdelight,ashesatboltupright,withhislegonarest,forhewasgettingoncapitallynow。

"Mostly。Ratheraneatjob,Iflattermyself。"

"Ishouldsayso。Whatacleverfellowyouare！Anynewinventionslately？"askedFrank,cominguptoexamineandadmire。

Onlyananti—snoringmachineandanelbow—pad,answeredRalph,withatwinkleinhiseye,asifremindedofsomethingfunny。

"Goon,andtellaboutthem。Ineverheardofananti—snorer。Jackbetterhaveone,"saidFrank,interestedatonce。

"Well,aricholdladykeptherfamilyawakewiththatlivelymusic,soshesenttoShirtmanandCodleffforsomethingtostopit。Theythoughtitwasagoodjoke,andtoldmetoseewhatIcoulddo。I

thoughtitover,andgotupthenicestlittleaffairyoueversaw。Itwentoverthemouth,andhadatubetofittheear,sowhentheladysnoredshewokeherselfupandstoppedit。Itsuitedexactly。I

thinkoftakingoutapatent,"concludedRalph,joiningintheboys\'

laughatthedrollidea。

"Whatwasthepad？"askedFrank,returningtothesmallmodelofanenginehewasmaking。

"Oh,thatwasameretrifleforamanwhohadatenderelbow—jointandwantedsomethingtoprotectit。Imadealittlepadtofiton,andhiscrazy—bonewassafe。"

"Iplannedtohaveyoumakemeanewlegifthisonewasspoilt,"

saidJack,surethathisfriendcouldinventanythingunderthesun。

"I\'ddomybestforyou。Imadeahandforafellowonce,andthatgotmemyplace,youknow,"answeredRalph,whothoughtlittleofsuchmechanicaltrifles,andlongedtobepaintingportraitsormodellingbusts,beinganartistaswellasaninventor。

HereGus,Ed,andseveralotherboyscamein,andtheconversationbecamegeneral。Grif,Chick,andBrickbatwerethreeyounggentlemenwhoseownrespectablenameswereusuallyignored,andtheycheerfullyansweredtothesenicknames。

Astheclockstruckseven,Frank,whoruledtheclubwitharodofironwhenChairman,tookhisplacebehindthestudytable。Seatsstoodaboutit,andalarge,shabbybooklaybeforeGus,whowasSecretary,andkepttherecordswithalavishexpenditureofink,tojudgebytheblots。Thememberstooktheirseats,andnearlyalltiltedbacktheirchairsandputtheirhandsintheirpockets,tokeepthemoutofmischief;for,aseveryoneknows,itisimpossiblefortwoladstobeneareachotherandrefrainfromticklingorpinching。Frankgavethreerapswithanoldcroquet—malletsetonashorthandle,andwithmuchdignityopenedthemeeting。

"Gentlemen,thebusinessoftheclubwillbeattendedto,andthenwewilldiscussthequestion,\'Shallgirlsgotoourcolleges？\'TheSecretarywillnowreadthereportofthelastmeeting。"

Clearinghisthroat,Gusreadthefollowingbriefandelegantreport:

"Clubmet,DecemberI8th,atthehouseofG。Burton,Esq。

Subject:

\'Issummerorwinterbestfun？\'Alivelypow—wow。Aboutevenlydivided。J。FlintfinedfivecentsfordisrespecttotheChair。A

collectionoffortycentstakenuptopayforbreakingapaneofglassduringafreefightofthemembersonthedoor—step。E。

DevlinwaschosenSecretaryforthecomingyear,andanewbookcontributedbytheChairman。"

"That\'sall。"

"Isthereanyotherbusinessbeforethemeeting？"askedFrank,asthereaderclosedtheoldbookwithaslamandshovedthenewoneacrossthetable。

Edrose,andglancingabouthimwithanappealinglook,said,asifsurehispropositionwouldnotbewellreceived,"Iwishtoproposethenameofanewmember。BobWalkerwantstojoin,and1thinkweoughttolethim。Heistryingtobehavewell,andIamsurewecouldhelphim。Can\'twe？"

Alltheboyslookedsober,andJoe,otherwiseBrickbat,said,bluntly,"Iwon\'t。He\'sabadlot,andwedon\'twantanysuchhere。

Lethimgowithchapsofhisownsort。"

"ThatisjustwhatIwanttokeephimfrom！He\'sagood—heartedboyenough,oniynoonelooksafterhim;sohegetsintoscrapes,asweshould,ifwewereinhisplace,I\'daresay。Hewantstocomehere,andwouldbesoproudifhewasletin,Iknowhe\'dbehave。Comenow,let\'sgivehimachance,"andEdlookedatGusandFrank,surethatiftheystoodbyhimheshouldcarryhispoint。

ButGusshookhishead,asifdoubtfulofthewisdomoftheplan,andFranksaidgravely:"Youknowwemadetherulethatthenumbershouldneverbeovereight,andwecannotbreakit。"

"Youneedn\'t。Ican\'theherehalfthetime,soIwillresignandletBobhavemyplace,"beganEd,buthewassilencedbyshoutsof"No,no,youshan\'t！""Wewon\'tletyouoff！""Clubwouldgotosmash,ifyoubackout！"

"Lethimhavemyplace;I\'mtheyoungest,andyouwon\'tmissme,"

criedJack,boundtostandbyEdatallcosts。

"Wemightdothat,"saidFrank,whodidobjecttosmallboys,thoughwillingtoadmitthisparticularone。

"Bettermakeanewruletohavetenmembers,andadmitbothBobandTomGrant,"saidRalph,whereatGrifgrinnedandJoescowled,foroneladlikedMerry\'sbigbrotherandtheotherdidnot。

"That\'sagoodidea！Putittovote,"saidGus,tookind—heartedtoshutthedooronanyone。

"FirstIwanttoaskifallyoufellowsarereadytostandbyBob,outoftheclubaswellasin,foritwon\'tdomuchgoodtobekindtohimhereandcuthimatschoolandinthestreet,"saidEd,heartilyinearnestaboutthematter。

"Iwill！"criedJack,readytofollowwherehisbelovedfriendled,andtheothersnodded,unwillingtobeoutdonebytheyoungestmember。

"Good！Withallofustolendahand,wecandoagreatdeal;andI

tellyou,boys,itistime,ifwewanttokeeppoorBobstraight。Weallturnourbacksonhim,soheloafsroundthetavern,andgoeswithfellowswedon\'tcaretoknow。Butheisn\'tbadyet,andwecankeephimup,I\'msure,ifwejusttry。IhopetogethimintotheLodge,andthatwillbehalfthebattle,won\'tit,Frank？"addedEd,surethatthissuggestionwouldhaveweightwiththehonorableChairman。

"Bringhimalong;I\'mwithyou！"answeredFrank,makinguphismindatonce,forhehadjoinedtheTemperanceLodgefouryearsago,andalreadysixboyshadfollowedhisexample。

"Heislearningtosmoke,butwe\'llmakehimdropitbeforeitleadstoworse。Youcanhelphimthere,Admiral,ifyouonlywill,"

addedEd,givingagratefullookatonefriend,andturningtotheother。

"I\'myourman";andGuslookedasifheknewwhathepromised,forhehadgivenupsmokingtoobligehisfather,andkepthiswordlikeahero。

"Youotherfellowscandoagooddealbyjustbeingkindandnottwittinghimwitholdscrapes,andI\'lldoanythingIcanforyoualltopayforthis";andEdsatdownwithabeamingsmile,feelingthathiscausewaswon。

Thevotewastaken,andallhandswentup,forevensurlyJoegavein;soBobandTomweredulyelected,andprovedtheirgratitudeforthehonordonethembybecomingworthymembersoftheclub。

Itwasonlyboys\'playnow,butthekindheartandpureinstinctsofoneladshowedtheothershowtolendahelpinghandtoacomradeindanger,andwinhimawayfromtemptationtothesaferpastimesoftheirmoreguardedlives。

Wellpleasedwiththemselves——foreverygenuineactorword,nomatterhowtriflingitseems,leavesasweetandstrengtheninginfluencebehind——thememberssettleddowntothedebate,whichwasneververylong,andoftenonlyanexcuseforfunofallsorts。

"Ralph,Gus,andEdarefor,andBrickbat,Grif,andChickagainst,Isuppose？"saidFrank,surveyinghiscompanylikeageneralpreparingforbattle。

"No,sir！Ibelieveinco—everything！"criedChick,amildyouth,wholoyallyescortedachosendamselhomefromschooleveryday。

Alaughgreetedthisbolddeclaration,andChicksatdown,redbutfirm。

"I\'llspeakfortwosincetheChairmancan\'t,andJackwon\'tgoagainstthosewhopethimmosttodeath,"saidJoe,who,notbeingafavoritewiththegirls,consideredthemanuisanceandlostnoopportunityoftellingthemso。

Fireaway,then,sinceyouareup;commandedFrank。

"Well,"beganJoe,feelingtoolatehowmuchhehadundertaken,"Idon\'tknowagreatdealaboutit,andIdon\'tcare,butIdonotbelieveinhavinggirlsatcollege。They\'don\'tbelongthere,nobodywants\'em,andthey\'dbetterbeathomedarningtheirstockings。"

"Yours,too,"putinRalph,whohadheardthatargumentsooftenhewastiredofit。

"Ofcourse;that\'swhatgirlsarefor。Idon\'tmind\'ematschool,butI\'djustassoontheyhadaroomtothemselves。Weshouldgetonbetter。"

"YouwouldifMabelwasn\'tinyourclassandalwaysaheadofyou,"observedEd,whosefriendwasafinescholar,andheveryproudofthefact。

"Lookhere,ifyoufellowskeepinterrupting,Iwon\'tsitdownforhalfanhour,"saidJoe,wellknowingthateloquencewasnothisgift,butboundtohavehissayout。

Deepsilencereigned,forthatthreatquelledthemostimpatientmember,andJoeprosedon,usingalltheargumentshehadeverheard,andpayingoffseveraloldscoresbysiyhitsofapersonalnature,asolderoratorsoftendo。

"Itiscleartomymindthatboyswouldgetonbetterwithoutanygirlsfoolinground。Asfortheirbeingassmartasweare,itisallnonsense,forsomeof\'emcryovertheirlessonseveryday,orgohomewithheadaches,orgetmadandscoldallrecess,becausesomething\'isn\'tfair。\'No,sir;girlsain\'tmeanttoknowmuch,andtheycan\'t。WisefolkssaysoandIbelieve\'em。Haven\'tgotanysistersmyself,andIdon\'twantany,forthey\'don\'tseemtoamounttomuch,accordingtothosewhodohave\'em。"

GroansfromGusandEdgreetedtheclosingremarksoftheungallantJoe,whosatdown,feelingthathehadmadesomebodysquirm。UpjumpedGrif,thedelightofwhoselifewaspracticaljokes,whichamiableweaknessmadehimtheterrorofthegirls,thoughtheyhadnootherfaulttofindwiththemerrylad。

"Mr。Chairman,thegroundItakeisthis:girlshavenotthestrengthtogotocollegewithus。Theycouldn\'trowarace,goonalark,ortakecareofthemselves,aswedo。Theyareallwellenoughathome,andIlikethematparties,butforrealfunandgoIwouldn\'tgiveacentforthem,"beganGrif,whoseviewsofacollegiatelifewereconfinedtotheenjoymentsratherthanthestudiesofthatfestiveperiod。"Ihavetriedthem,andtheycan\'tstandanything。

Theyscreamifyoutellthemthereisamouseintheroom,andruniftheyseeabigdog。IjustputacockroachinMolly\'sdeskoneday,andwhensheopeneditshejumpedasifshewasshot。"

Sodidthegentlemenoftheclub,foratthatmomenthalf—a—dozenfire—crackersexplodedunderthechairGrifhadleft,andflewwildlyabouttheroom。Orderwaswithdifficultyrestored,themischievouspartysummarilychastisedandcommandedtoholdhistongue,underpenaltyofejectmentfromtheroomifhespokeagain。Firmlygraspingthatredandunrulymember,Grifcomposedhimselftolisten,withhisnoseintheairandhiseyesshininglikeblackbeads。

Edwasalwaysthepeace—maker,andnow,whenherosewithhisengagingsmile,hisvoicefelllikeoiluponthetroubledwaters,andhisbrightfacewasfullofthebecomingbashfulnesswhichafflictsyouthsofseventeenwhentouchinguponsuchsubjectsofnewlyacquiredinterestasgirlsandtheirpleasantbutperplexingways。

"Itseemstomewehavehardlyconsideredthematterenoughtobeabletosaymuch。ButIthinkthatschoolwouldbeawfullydryanddismalwithout——ahem！——anyyoungladiestomakeitnice。I

wouldn\'tgiveapintogoiftherewasonlyacrowdoffellows,thoughIlikeagoodgameaswellasanyman。Ipityanyboywhohasnosisters,"continuedEd,warmingupashethoughtofhisown,wholovedhimdearly,aswelltheymight,forabetterbrotherneverlived。"Homewouldn\'tbeworthhavingwithoutthemtolookafterafellow,tokeephimoutofscrapes,helphimwithhislessons,andmakethingsjollyforhisfriends。Itellyouwecan\'tdowithoutgirls,andI\'mnotashamedtosaythatIthinkthemoreweseeofthem,andtrytobeliketheminmanyways,thebettermenweshallbebyandby。"

"Hear！hear！"criedFrank,inhisdeepesttone,forheheartilyagreedtothat,havingtalkedthematteroverwithhismother,andreceivedmuchlightuponthingswhichshouldalwaysbesetrightinyoungheadsandhearts。Andwhocandothissowiselyandwellasmothers,iftheyonlywill？

Feelingthathissentimentshadbeenapproved,andheneednotbeashamedofthehonestcolorinhischeeks,Edsatdownamidtheapplauseofhisside,especiallyofJack,whopoundedsovigorouslywithhiscrutchthatMrs。Pecqpoppedinherheadtoseeifanythingwaswanted。

"No,thankyou,ma\'am,wewereonlycheeringEd,"saidGus,nowuponhislegs,andratheratalosswhattosaytillMrs。Pecq\'sappearancesuggestedanidea,andheseizeduponit。

"MyhonoredfriendhasspokensowellthatIhavelittletoadd。I

agreewithhim,andifyouwantanexampleofwhatgirlscando,why,lookatJill。She\'syoung,Iknow,butafirst—ratescholarforherage。Asforpluck,sheisasbraveasaboy,andalmostassmartatrunning,rowing,andsoon。Ofcourse,shecan\'tplayball——nogirlcan;theirarmsarenotmaderighttothrow——butshecancatchremarkablywell。I\'llsaythatforher。Now,ifsheandMabel——and——

and——someothersIcouldname,aresocleverandstrongatthebeginning,Idon\'tseewhytheyshouldn\'tkeepupandgoalongwithusallthrough。I\'mwilling,andwilldowhatIcantohelpotherfellows\'sistersasI\'dliketohavethemhelpmine。AndI\'llpunchtheirheadsifthey\'don\'t";andGussubsided,assured,byaburstofapplause,thathismanlywayofstatingthecasemetwithgeneralapproval。

"Weshallbehappytohearfromourseniormemberifhewillhonoruswithafewremarks,"saidFrank,withabowtoRalph。

Nooneeverknewwhomhewouldchoosetopersonate,forheneverspokeinhisowncharacter。Nowheroseslowly,putonehandinhisbosom,andfixinghiseyesternlyonCrif,whowasdoingsomethingsuspiciouswithapin,gavethematouchofSergeantBuzfuz,fromthePickwicktrial,thinkingthatthedebatewasnotlikelytothrowmuchlightonthesubjectunderdiscussion。

Inthemidstofthisappealto"Meludandgentlemenofthejury,"

hesuddenlypaused,smoothedhishairdownuponhisforehead,rolleduphiseyes,andfoldinghishands,dronedoutMr。

Chadband\'ssermononPeace,deliveredoverpoorJo,andendingwiththefamouslines:

"Oh,runningstreamofsparklingjoy,Tobeaglorioushumanboy！"