ntry," said Olive, "far more than I love the city,
and--and I want to live in the country. Besides, there is as much work
to do here as there is in the city. Of another kind, perhaps, but just
as important."

"I think so, too; but what do you propose doing?"

"We have some responsibility towards the people here. Especially those
on the estate you have bought. As it is very large, that will involve a
great deal of work."

John Castlemaine nodded.

"But that is not all. I should like the house to be--well, a kind of
centre of life."

"That sounds very well; but tell me what you mean in greater detail.
Would you invite the villagers to it? Would you give them dinners, and
dances?"

"Perhaps so, but I was not thinking of that so much. As a rule, people
build great houses for purely selfish purposes. They invite people whose
presence will give them pleasure. They give dinners to those who live in
a land of plenty, they offer pleasure to those who are satiated with
it."

"Exactly," said John Castlemaine; "what then?"

"I think we could invite to our house those whom we could really benefit
by inviting."

"Start a sort of hotel for poor people. I am afraid it would not do,
Olive. They would be miserable amidst such surroundings."

"There are many people we know who would not be miserable, and to whom
we should be rendering real kindness by inviting. In this way we could
be using this great house for the good of needy people. There are young
professional men, ministers, doctors, and the like who are very poor,
and yet who are people of refined and cultured tastes. An invitation
here would be a perfect godsend to them, and at the same time we should
be meeting people who are our equals in the best sense of the word."

"Yes," said John Castlemaine, "there is Dr. Rickard's daughter, whom you
used to invite to The Beeches. A fortnight here would be like paradise
to the girl."

"There are hosts of such. But more than that, father; I think it is
possible to help those who might not be happy as our guests in the
house, or for that matter whom we might not like to have there."

"Well, what would you do for those?"

"I would choose one of the loveliest spots on the estate, and build a
large house, fitting it up on the lines of a good hotel. I would make it
open to those to whom it might possibly be a kind of health resort."

"Would you admit them gratis?" asked Mr. Castlemaine with a smile, "or
would they have to pay