it was made
from apples, and pears, and prune juice, and sugar, and some tea that I
saved from breakfast. There are lots of other things in it, too," she
said, interrupting herself; "but that is a secret. The best of my wine
is that it hasn't cost anything, and so we shall have more money to
spend on other things. It is pocket-money day to-day, and it must all
go towards the feast. My sixpence and yours, Jim, and Helen's and
Tommy's threepences make one and sixpence. That is a lot of money, and
I am sure Hal will give us his shilling."

"I don't think he will," said Jim, biting his lips to keep from
laughing as he saw Drusie look down with mingled surprise and dismay at
her nearly full glass; "he is hard up. He borrowed a penny half-penny
from me the other day, and hasn't paid it back yet; and he told me that
he had got rather a big bill in the village."

"Well," Drusie continued, after she had bravely gulped down some more
water, "it doesn't matter very much if he doesn't give anything. We
have plenty. And now we must vote." Tearing the sheet of paper into
four pieces, she passed them round the table. "If you want to go on
preparing for the fight and the feast, you must each write 'yes;' if
you don't want to go on, you must write 'no.'"

Then she sat down, feeling rather proud of the clear way in which she
had spoken, and made another attempt to finish her glass of water.

Without the slightest hesitation Jim scribbled the word "yes" on his
piece of paper, and when Tommy saw what Jim had written he put "yes,"
too. Helen took longer to make up her mind. She could not help
thinking that if they went on with the preparations for the fight, and
Hal refused to have anything to do with it, they would look very silly.
For at the bottom of her heart Helen was rather impressed by the airs
that Hal gave himself, and would have liked very much to imitate them.
But knowing well that the other three would vote for going on with the
fight, she, too, wrote "yes," and put her folded slip with the others
into the hat which Jim passed round.

The chairman opened them hastily.

"They are all 'yeses,' so we must go on with the preparations just the
same," she said, rising once more to address the meeting; "and if Hal
gives us his shilling after breakfast, it will mean that he is going to
defend the fort. That is all, I think. I now declare this meeting
ended."

"Hear, hear!" said Jim. "But you must finish your water