.

"Go ahead," said Jim, encouragingly; "or would you like me to be
chairman, Drusie?"

"Certainly not," she replied hastily. "I am the eldest here, and of
course I must be chairman. And you must be serious, Jim, for we have
got a lot to talk about this morning, and it won't do for Hal to come
out and find us here."

"He is asleep and snoring," said Helen, in a tone of great contempt.
"He has learned a lot of silly things at school, and one of them is
never to get up until he is called."

"Order, please," said Drusie, rapping on the table. "You must not
begin to discuss the subject until I have announced it." She rose,
gulped down a few mouthfuls of water, and said: "Ladies and gentlemen,
we are met here this morning to discuss a question of paramount
importance." She paused, partly for breath and partly to take note of
the effect of her words. She was proud of that beginning, which she
had learned from the report of a missionary meeting. She was pleased
to observe that Helen and Tommy looked decidedly impressed, but Jim was
grinning. Frowning at him, she resumed: "I may say that the matter
affects us all very seriously, and it is one that ought to be taken up
by the nation at large. But I regret to say that the people of England
are only too apt to shirk their very obvious, their very obvious--"

But at that point she stuck hopelessly fast. Though she had carefully
avoided glancing at Jim, she had seen his face out of the corner of one
eye, and the wide, fixed grin that ornamented it had put her out
dreadfully.

"Oh, come," he said, striking in; "aren't you laying it on rather
thick? Even though Hal has come back from school with so much side on
that he does not know what to do with himself, I don't see that the
nation at large is concerned."

"No, of course not," Drusie acknowledged; "but it said that in the
paper, you know, and it seemed a nice beginning."

"Well, suppose we skip that part," said Jim, "and get to the real
business, which is of course about Hal."

"Very well," said Drusie, though she rather regretted her long
sentences. "I called this meeting to talk about Hal," she said, "and
to ask what you all thought about the birthday. You know we have been
busy making the ammunition to storm the fort with; but if he doesn't
want to defend it, it won't be much good preparing any more cannon
balls. Of course, one of us could defend it; but a fight without Hal
wouldn't be any fun at all.