"Why,--I don't know, Prudence. You know more about rearing twins than I
do."

Prudence at that moment felt that she knew very little about it,
indeed. She turned to Fairy. There was a strange intentness in Fairy's
fine eyes as she studied the twins on the floor at her feet.

"You aren't thinking of turning Christian Scientists, yourselves, are
you?" asked Prudence rather humbly.

"Oh, of course, we aren't Scientists, Prudence," was the quick denial.
"We don't know anything about it yet, really. But there are lots of very
helpful things in it, and--people talk about it so much, and--they have
made such wonderful cures, you know, and--we'd thought we'd just study
up a little."

"You take the book and read it yourself, Prue," urged Carol hospitably.
"You'll see what we mean."

Prudence drew back quickly as though the book would sear her fingers.
She looked very forlorn. She realized that it would be bad policy to
forbid the twins to read it. On the other hand, she realized equally
strongly that it was certainly unwise to allow its doctrines to take
root in the minds of parsonage daughters. If only her father were at
home,--ten days between herself and the lifting of responsibility!

"When father comes home--" she began. And then suddenly Fairy spoke.

"I think the twins are right," she said emphatically, and the twins
looked at her with a surprised anxiety that mated Prudence's own. "It
would be very narrow-minded of us to refuse to look into a subject as
important as this. Let them go on and study it; we can decide things
later."

Prudence looked very doubtful, but a warning movement of Fairy's left
eyelash--the side removed from the twins--comforted her.

"Well--" she said.

"Of course, Prudence, we know it would nearly break father's heart for
us to go back on our own church,--but don't you think if folks become
truly convinced that Christian Science is the true and good religion,
they ought to stand by it and suffer,--just like the martyrs of old?"
suggested Lark,--and the suggestion brought the doubt-clouds thick about
Prudence's head once more.

"We may not be convinced, of course," added Carol, "but there is
something rather--assuring--about it."

"Oh, twins," Prudence cried earnestly, but stopped as she caught again
the slight suggestive movement of Fairy's left eyelash.

"Well, let it go for this afternoon," she said, her eyes intent on
Fairy's face. "I must think it over."

The twins, with appar