f misery, how intolerable had been
her conduct. With that swift changefulness that was distinctive of her
nature, she sought to make amends as best she could, although she
understood that the task was well-nigh a hopeless one.

"I beg your pardon," she said, with as much humility as she could
summon. "But, oh, you don't know what you are doing. You can't know!
Don't you realize that you are spoiling our one chance for doing
good--spoiling our chance to make this a genuine club to help women
actually, not just merely making a joke by pretending?"

Mrs. Morton voiced the general sentiment of disagreement succinctly:

"I fail to see how association with such persons could be anything but
distasteful, even disgusting."

"Exactly!" Mrs. Carrington agreed.

"Such women have their own clubs," Miss Johnson pointed out for the
enlightenment of the presiding officer. She was very happy over her dear
Cicily's discomfiture. "How can they help in any really great work? Let
them work among the creatures of their own class. We," she concluded
loftily, "have our ideals."

"My ideal," the president retorted bitterly, "is to do something--not
merely to talk about it. Not one of you," she continued, waxing wroth
again, "has ever done any real good, has ever put herself out to be of
service to others, has ever really done anything for anybody else--not
one of you!"

"Mrs. Hamilton," Mrs. Morton protested indignantly, "I cannot permit
such a statement. I for one send my check to the Charity Organization
every Christmas, without fail." Others, too, boasted of their
philanthropies, always exercised through some most respectable medium.
As the clamor of rebuke died away, Cicily ventured one more plea:

"Then, won't you do this for me?" she asked. "I, as your president, ask
that you elect these women. Let them in, to help me in doing the hard
work. You needn't do anything, but just belong and take the credit. I am
under obligations to these persons. I promised them election to the
club. I know now that I had no right to do so, but I did. I am sorry
that I was so hasty in the matter. But won't you make my word good in
this one case?" The musical voice was tenderly persuasive. Some of those
who listened yielded to the spell of it and the winning radiance of the
amber eyes. But Mrs. Flynn was not of these.

"There's nothing in this book of American parliamentary law that says
the president has a right to promise anything binding on the c