ed," broke in Evelyn.

"Isn't it great?" said Marjorie. "Margaret was telling us about it on the
way up. It seems almost miraculous."

Margaret flushed happily. "Oh, the doctors say there is nothing
miraculous about it. They say all I wanted was the exercise and healthy
outdoor life. But I know who really did it," she added, putting her arm
about Lucile. "It was you girls--yes it was," she insisted, as they
started to protest. "You were the first I can remember--except father, of
course--who treated me like a human being and not a curiosity. And, oh
I'm so grateful and happy," she ended.

Lucile patted the brown head on her shoulder.

"You give us altogether too much credit, Margaret, dear," she said,
unsteadily. "It was Miss Howland that thought of it in the first place,
and after we knew you we just couldn't help loving you for yourself and
wanting to help."

"That's right," cried the girls, heartily.

Margaret glanced around at the sober faces of her friends and, although
her eyes were still wet, there was a little hint of raillery in her
voice:

"Well, I did think you girls had something to do with it, but since you
say you didn't, we'll have to call it a miracle, after all."

The girls laughed a trifle shakily and Evelyn added, "But there's our
guardian, you know."

"Oh, yes," said Margaret, and her voice was very tender. "Of course,
there's our guardian. I don't know what we'd ever do without her."

"Well, we've had to get along without her for almost six months," Ruth
broke in, a trifle pettishly.

"Yes; I wonder if we'll ever see her again," said Marjorie. "We were
getting along so splendidly when that Mr. Wescott----"

"Oh, don't be too hard on him," cautioned Lucile. "If we loved her so
much, we couldn't blame him for doing the same thing."

"I know, but if he'd only waited two or three years," mourned Marjorie.
"He came a good deal too soon, and now I don't suppose we'll ever see her
again."

The three conspirators exchanged significant glances and Lucile cried,
merrily, "Perhaps you'll change your tune in a little while," and just as
the girls were about to demand the meaning of this strange remark, she
added, "Here come the rest of them now," and flew down to welcome them.

"What on earth----" began Marjorie, and then stopped as the remaining
girls of the camp-fire Aloea, six in all, for they had added two to their
number since the spring before, ran up on the porch, all talking at once
a