saidMolly,astheancienthandmaidemptiedherfourthcupoftea,forshedinedwiththefamily,andenjoyedherowngoodcookinginitsprime。
　　"Whatareyougoingtowashnow？"
　　"Boo——I'msureheneedsitenough";andMollycouldnothelplaughingasthevictimaddedtohisbrilliantappearancebysmearingthecolorsalltogetherwitharuboftwogrimyhands,makingafineTurner,ofhimself。
　　"Now,MariaLouisaBemis,youain'tgoingtocutupnocaperswiththatchild！Theideaofahotbathinthemiddleoftheday,andhimfullofdinner,andcroupyintothebargain~Wetacornerofatowelatthekettle—spoutandpolishhimoffifyoulike,butyouwon'triskhislifeinnobath—tubsthiscoldday。"
　　MissBat'swordwaslawinsomethings,soMollyhadtosubmit,andtookBooaway,saying,loftily,asshelefttheroom,"Ishallaskfather,anddoitto—night,forIwillnothavemybrotherlooklikeapig。"
　　"Mypatience！howtheSiamesedoleavetheirthingsround,"sheexclaimed,asshesurveyedherroomaftermakingupthefireandpolishingoffBoo。"I'llputthingsinorder,andthenmendupmyrags,ifIcanfindmythimble。Now,letmesee";andshewenttoexploringhercloset,bureau,andtable,findingsuchdisordereverywherethathercouragenearlygaveout。
　　Shehadclothesenough,butallneededcare;evenherbestdresshadtwobuttonsoff,andherSundayhatbutonestring。Shoes,skirts,books,andtoyslayabout,andherdrawerswereaperfectchaosofsoiledruffles,oddgloves,oldribbons,bootlacings,andbitsofpaper。
　　"Oh,myheart,whatamuddle！Mrs。Minotwouldn'tthinkmuchofmeifshecouldseethat,"saidMolly,recallinghowthatladyoncesaidshecouldjudgeagooddealofalittlegirl'scharacterandhabitsbyapeepathertopdrawer,andwenton,withgreatsuccess,toguesshoweachoftheschool—mateskeptherdrawer。
　　"Come,missionary,clearup,anddon'tletmefindsuchagloryholeagain,orI'llreportyoutothesociety,"saidMolly,tippingthewholedrawer—fulloutuponthebed,andbeguilingthetiresomejobbykeepingupthenewplay。
　　Twilightcamebeforeitwasdone,andagreatpileofthingsloomeduponhertable,withnovisiblemeansofrepair——forMolly'swork—basketwasfullofnuts,andherthimbledownaholeintheshed—floor,wherethecatshaddroppeditintheirplay。
　　"I'llaskBatforhooksandtape,andpapaforsomemoneytobuyscissorsandthings,forIdon'tknowwheremineare。GladIcan'tdoanymorenow！Beingneatissuchhardwork！"andMollythrewherselfdownontherugbesidetheoldwoodencradleinwhichBoowasblissfullyrocking,withacargooftoysaboard。
　　Shewatchedhertime,andassoonasherfatherhaddonesupper,shehastenedtosay,beforehegottohisdesk,"Please,papa,IwantadollartogetsomebrassbuttonsandthingstofixBoo'sclotheswith。HeworeaholeinhisnewtrouserscoastingdowntheKembles'steps。Andcan'tIwashhim？Heneedsit,andMissBatwon'tletmehaveatub。"
　　"Certainly,child,certainly;dowhatyoulike,onlydon'tkeepme。I
　　mustbeoff,orIshallmissJackson,andhe'sthemanIwant";and,throwingdowntwodollarsinsteadofone,Mr。Bemishurriedaway,withavagueimpressionthatBoohadswallowedadozenbrassbuttons,andMissBathadbeencoastingsomewhereinabath—pan;butcatchingJacksonwasimportant,sohedidnotstoptoinvestigate。
　　Armedwiththepaternalpermission,Mollycarriedherpoint,andoh,whatadreadfuleveningpoorBoospent！First,hewasdecoyedupstairsanhourtoosoon,thenputinatubbymainforceandsternlyscrubbed,inspiteofshrieksthatbroughtMissBattothelockeddoortocondolewiththesufferer,scoldthescrubber,anddepart,darklyprophesyingcroupbeforemorning。
　　"Healwayshowlswhenheiswashed;butIshalldoit,sinceyouwon't,andhemustgetusedtoit。Iwillnothavepeopletellmehe'sneglected,ifIcanhelpit,"criedMolly,workingawaywithtearsinhereyes——foritwasashardforherasforBoo;butshemeanttobethoroughforonceinherlife,nomatterwhathappened。
　　Whentheworstwasover,shecoaxedhimwithcandyandstoriestillthelongtaskofcombingoutthecurlswassafelydone;then,inthecleannight—gownwithabluebuttonnewlysewedon,shelaidhiminbed,wornout,butsweetasarose。
　　"Now,sayyourprayers,darling,andgotosleepwiththeniceredblanketalltuckedroundsoyouwon'tgetcold,"saidMolly,ratherdoubtfuloftheeffectofthewethead。
　　"No,Iwon't！Goingtosleepnow！"andBooshuthiseyeswearily,feelingthathislatetrialshadnotlefthiminaprayerfulmood。
　　"Thenyou'llbeareallittleheathen,asMrs。Pecqcalledyou,andI
　　don'tknowwhatIshalldowithyou,"saidMolly,longingtocuddleratherthanscoldthelittlefellow,whosesoulneededlookingafteraswellashisbody。
　　"No,no;Iwon'tbeaheevin！Idon'twanttobefrowedtothetrockindiles。Iwillsaymyprayers！oh,Iwill！"and,risinginhisbed,Boodidso,withthedevotionofaninfantSamuel,forherememberedthetalkwhenthesocietywasformed。
　　Mollythoughtherlaborswereoverforthatnight,andsoonwenttobed,tiredwithherfirstattempts。Buttowardmorningshewaswakenedbythehoarsebreathingoftheboy,andwasforcedtopatterawaytoMissBat'sroom,humblyaskingforthesquills,andconfessingthattheprophecyhadcometopass。
　　"Iknewit！Bringthechildtome,anddon'tfret。I'llseetohim,andnexttimeyoudoasIsay,"wastheconsolingwelcomeshereceivedastheoldladypoppedupasleepybutanxiousfaceinalargeflannelcap,andshookthebottlewiththeairofageneralwhohadroutedthefoebeforeandmeanttodoitagain。
　　LeavingherlittleresponsibilityinMissBat'sarms,Mollytiredtowetherpillowwithafewremorsefultears,andtofallasleep,wonderingifrealmissionarieseverkilledtheirpupilsintheprocessofconversion。
　　Sothegirlsallfailedinthebeginning;buttheydidnotgiveup,andsucceededbetternexttime,asweshallsee。
　　Chapter9TheDebatingClub"Lookhere,oldman,weoughttohaveameeting。Holidaysareover,andwemustbraceupandattendtobusiness,"saidFranktoGus,astheystrolledoutoftheschoolyardoneafternooninJanuary,apparentlyabsorbedinconversation,butinrealitywaitingforabluecloudandascarletfeathertoappearonthesteps。
　　"Allright。When,where,andwhat？"askedGus,whowasamanoffewwords。
　　"To—night,ourhouse,subject,'Shallgirlsgotocollegewithus？'
　　Mothersaidwehadbetterbemakingupourminds,becauseeveryoneistalkingaboutit,andweshallhavetobeononesideortheother,sowemayaswellsettleitnow,"answeredFrank,fortherewasanimpressionamongthemembersthatallvexedquestionswouldbemuchhelpedbytheunitedeloquenceandwisdomoftheclub。
　　"Verygood;I'llpassthewordandbethere。Hullo,Neddy！TheD。
　　C。meetsto—night,atMinot's,sevensharp。Co—ed,&c。,"addedGus,losingnotime,asathirdboycamebrisklyroundthecorner,withalittlebaginhishand。
　　"I'llcome。Gothomeanhourearlierto—night,andthoughtI'dlookyouupasIwentby,"respondedEdDevlin,ashetookpossessionofthethirdpost,withaglancetowardtheschoolhousetoseeifaseal—skincap,withalong,yellowbraiddependingtherefrom,wasanywhereinsight。
　　"Verygoodofyou,I'msure,"saidGus,ironically,notabitdeceivedbythispoliteattention。
　　"Thelongestwayroundissometimestheshortestwayhome,hey,Ed？"andFrankgavehimaplayfulpokethatnearlysenthimoffhisperch。
　　Thentheyalllaughedatsomejokeoftheirown,andGusadded,"Nogirlscomingtohearusto—night。Don'tthinkit,myson。
　　"More'sthepity,"andEdshookhisheadregretfullyoverthedownfallofhishopes。
　　"Can'thelpit;theotherfellowssaytheyspoilthefun,sowehavetogivein,sometimes,forthesakeofpeaceandquietness。Don'tmindhavingthemabitmyself,"saidFrank,insuchatoneofcheerfulresignationthattheylaughedagain,forthe"Triangle,"asthethreechumswerecalled,alwaysmademerrymusic。
　　"Wemusthaveagamepartynextweek。Thegirlslikethat,andsodoI,"candidlyobservedGus,whosepleasantparlorswerethesceneofmanysuchfrolics。
　　"Andsodoyoursistersandyourcousinsandyouraunts,"hummedEd,forGuswasoftencalledAdmiralbecausehereallydidpossessthreesisters,twocousins,andfouraunts,besidesmotherandgrandmother,alllivinginthebighousetogether。
　　Theboyspromptlyjoinedinthepopularchorus,andothervoicesallabouttheyardtookitup,forthe"Pinafore"epidemicragedfearfullyinHarmonyVillagethatwinter。
　　"How'sbusiness？"askedGus,whenthesongended,forEdhadnotreturnedtoschoolintheautumn,buthadgoneintoastoreinthecity。
　　"Dull;thingswilllookuptowardspring,theysay。Igetonwellenough,butImissyoufellowsdreadfully";andEdputahandonthebroadshoulderofeachfriend,asifhelongedtobeaschool—boyagain。
　　"Bettergiveitupandgotocollegewithmenextyear,"saidFrank,whowaspreparingforBostonUniversity,whileGusfittedforHarvard。
　　"No;I'vechosenbusiness,andImeantosticktoit,sodon'tyouunsettlemymind。HaveyoupractisedthatMarch？"askedEd,turningtoagayersubject,forhehadhislittletroubles,butalwayslookedonthebrightsideofthings。
　　"Skatingissogood,Idon'tgetmuchtime。Comeearly,andwe'llhaveaturnatit。"
　　"Iwill。Mustrunhomenow。"
　　"Prettycoldloafinghere。"
　　"Mailisinbythistime。"
　　Andwiththeseartlessexcusesthethreeboysleapedofftheposts,asifonespringmovedthem,asagroupofgirlscamechatteringdownthepath。ThebluecloudfloatedawaybesideFrank,thescarletfeathermarchedoffwiththeAdmiral,whilethefurcapnoddedtothegrayhatastwohappyfacessmiledateachother。
　　Thesamethingoftenhappened,fortwicea—daythestreetswerefullofyoungcoupleswalkingtoandfromschooltogether,smiledatbytheelders,andlaughedatbythelesssusceptibleboysandgirls,whowentaloneortroopedalonginnoisygroups。Theprudentmothershadtriedtostopthisguilelesscustom,butfounditverydifficult,asthefathersusuallysympathizedwiththeirsons,anddismissedthematterwiththecomfortablephrase,"Nevermind;boyswillbeboys。""Notforever,"returnedtheanxiousmammas,seeingthetallladsdailygrowmoremanly,andtheprettydaughtersfastlearningtolookdemurewhencertainnameswerementioned。
　　Itcouldnotbestoppedwithoutgreatparentalsternnessandthedangerofdeceit,forco—educationwillgoonoutsideofschoolifnotinside,andthesafestwayistoletsentimentandstudygohandinhand,withteachersandparentstodirectandexplainthegreatlessonallarethebetterforlearningsoonorlate。Sotheeldershadtogivein,acknowledgingthatthissuddenreadinesstogotoschoolwasacomfort,thatthenewsortofgentleemulationworkedwondersinlazygirlsandboys,andthatwatchingthese"primrosefriendships"bud,blossom,anddiepainlessdeaths,gavealittletouchofromancetotheirownwork—a—daylives。
　　"OnthewholeI'dratherhavemysonswalking,playing,andstudyingwithbright,well—manneredgirls,thanalwaysknockingaboutwithroughboys,"saidMrs。MinotatoneoftheMothers'
　　Meetings,wherethegoodladiesmettotalkovertheirchildren,andhelponeanothertodotheirdutybythem。
　　"IfindthatGusismoregentlewithhissisterssinceJuliettookhiminhand,forhewantstostandwellwithher,andtheyreporthimifhetroublesthem。Ireallyseenoharminthelittlefriendship,thoughIneverhadanysuchwhenIwasagirl,"saidMrs。Burton,whoadoredheroneboyandwashisconfidante。
　　"MyMerryseemstobecontentedwithherbrotherssofar,butI
　　shouldn'twonderifIhadmyhandsfullbyandby,"addedMrs。
　　Grant,whoalreadyforesawthathersweetlittledaughterwouldbesoughtafterassoonassheshouldlengthenherskirtsandturnupherbonnybrownhair。
　　MollyLoohadnomothertosayawordforher,butshesettledmattersforherselfbyholdingfasttoMerry,anddeclaringthatshewouldhavenoescortbutfaithfulBoo。
　　Itisnecessarytodwellamomentuponthisnewamusement,becauseitwasnotpeculiartoHarmonyVillage,butappearseverywhereasnaturallyasthegamepartiesandcroquetwhichhavetakentheplaceofthehuskingfrolicsandapple—beesofoldentimes,anditisimpossibletododgethesubjectifoneattemptstowriteofboysandgirlsastheyreallyarenowadays。
　　"Here,myhero,seehowyoulikethis。Ifitsuits,youwillbereadytomarchassoonasthedoctorgivestheword,"saidRalph,comingintotheBirdRoomthateveningwithaneatlittlecrutchunderhisarm。
　　"Ha,ha,thatlooksfine！I'dliketotryitrightoff,butIwon'ttillI
　　getleave。Didyoumakeityourself,Ral？"askedJack,handlingitwithdelight,ashesatboltupright,withhislegonarest,forhewasgettingoncapitallynow。
　　"Mostly。Ratheraneatjob,Iflattermyself。"
　　"Ishouldsayso。Whatacleverfellowyouare！Anynewinventionslately？"askedFrank,cominguptoexamineandadmire。
　　Onlyananti—snoringmachineandanelbow—pad,answeredRalph,withatwinkleinhiseye,asifremindedofsomethingfunny。
　　"Goon,andtellaboutthem。Ineverheardofananti—snorer。Jackbetterhaveone,"saidFrank,interestedatonce。
　　"Well,aricholdladykeptherfamilyawakewiththatlivelymusic,soshesenttoShirtmanandCodleffforsomethingtostopit。Theythoughtitwasagoodjoke,andtoldmetoseewhatIcoulddo。I
　　thoughtitover,andgotupthenicestlittleaffairyoueversaw。Itwentoverthemouth,andhadatubetofittheear,sowhentheladysnoredshewokeherselfupandstoppedit。Itsuitedexactly。I
　　thinkoftakingoutapatent,"concludedRalph,joiningintheboys'
　　laughatthedrollidea。
　　"Whatwasthepad？"askedFrank,returningtothesmallmodelofanenginehewasmaking。
　　"Oh,thatwasameretrifleforamanwhohadatenderelbow—jointandwantedsomethingtoprotectit。Imadealittlepadtofiton,andhiscrazy—bonewassafe。"
　　"Iplannedtohaveyoumakemeanewlegifthisonewasspoilt,"
　　saidJack,surethathisfriendcouldinventanythingunderthesun。
　　"I'ddomybestforyou。Imadeahandforafellowonce,andthatgotmemyplace,youknow,"answeredRalph,whothoughtlittleofsuchmechanicaltrifles,andlongedtobepaintingportraitsormodellingbusts,beinganartistaswellasaninventor。
　　HereGus,Ed,andseveralotherboyscamein,andtheconversationbecamegeneral。Grif,Chick,andBrickbatwerethreeyounggentlemenwhoseownrespectablenameswereusuallyignored,andtheycheerfullyansweredtothesenicknames。
　　Astheclockstruckseven,Frank,whoruledtheclubwitharodofironwhenChairman,tookhisplacebehindthestudytable。Seatsstoodaboutit,andalarge,shabbybooklaybeforeGus,whowasSecretary,andkepttherecordswithalavishexpenditureofink,tojudgebytheblots。Thememberstooktheirseats,andnearlyalltiltedbacktheirchairsandputtheirhandsintheirpockets,tokeepthemoutofmischief;for,aseveryoneknows,itisimpossiblefortwoladstobeneareachotherandrefrainfromticklingorpinching。Frankgavethreerapswithanoldcroquet—malletsetonashorthandle,andwithmuchdignityopenedthemeeting。
　　"Gentlemen,thebusinessoftheclubwillbeattendedto,andthenwewilldiscussthequestion,'Shallgirlsgotoourcolleges？'TheSecretarywillnowreadthereportofthelastmeeting。"
　　Clearinghisthroat,Gusreadthefollowingbriefandelegantreport:
　　"Clubmet,DecemberI8th,atthehouseofG。Burton,Esq。
　　Subject:
　　'Issummerorwinterbestfun？'Alivelypow—wow。Aboutevenlydivided。J。FlintfinedfivecentsfordisrespecttotheChair。A
　　collectionoffortycentstakenuptopayforbreakingapaneofglassduringafreefightofthemembersonthedoor—step。E。
　　DevlinwaschosenSecretaryforthecomingyear,andanewbookcontributedbytheChairman。"
　　"That'sall。"
　　"Isthereanyotherbusinessbeforethemeeting？"askedFrank,asthereaderclosedtheoldbookwithaslamandshovedthenewoneacrossthetable。
　　Edrose,andglancingabouthimwithanappealinglook,said,asifsurehispropositionwouldnotbewellreceived,"Iwishtoproposethenameofanewmember。BobWalkerwantstojoin,and1thinkweoughttolethim。Heistryingtobehavewell,andIamsurewecouldhelphim。Can'twe？"
　　Alltheboyslookedsober,andJoe,otherwiseBrickbat,said,bluntly,"Iwon't。He'sabadlot,andwedon'twantanysuchhere。
　　Lethimgowithchapsofhisownsort。"
　　"ThatisjustwhatIwanttokeephimfrom！He'sagood—heartedboyenough,oniynoonelooksafterhim;sohegetsintoscrapes,asweshould,ifwewereinhisplace,I'daresay。Hewantstocomehere,andwouldbesoproudifhewasletin,Iknowhe'dbehave。Comenow,let'sgivehimachance,"andEdlookedatGusandFrank,surethatiftheystoodbyhimheshouldcarryhispoint。
　　ButGusshookhishead,asifdoubtfulofthewisdomoftheplan,andFranksaidgravely:"Youknowwemadetherulethatthenumbershouldneverbeovereight,andwecannotbreakit。"
　　"Youneedn't。Ican'theherehalfthetime,soIwillresignandletBobhavemyplace,"beganEd,buthewassilencedbyshoutsof"No,no,youshan't！""Wewon'tletyouoff！""Clubwouldgotosmash,ifyoubackout！"
　　"Lethimhavemyplace;I'mtheyoungest,andyouwon'tmissme,"
　　criedJack,boundtostandbyEdatallcosts。
　　"Wemightdothat,"saidFrank,whodidobjecttosmallboys,thoughwillingtoadmitthisparticularone。
　　"Bettermakeanewruletohavetenmembers,andadmitbothBobandTomGrant,"saidRalph,whereatGrifgrinnedandJoescowled,foroneladlikedMerry'sbigbrotherandtheotherdidnot。
　　"That'sagoodidea！Putittovote,"saidGus,tookind—heartedtoshutthedooronanyone。
　　"FirstIwanttoaskifallyoufellowsarereadytostandbyBob,outoftheclubaswellasin,foritwon'tdomuchgoodtobekindtohimhereandcuthimatschoolandinthestreet,"saidEd,heartilyinearnestaboutthematter。
　　"Iwill！"criedJack,readytofollowwherehisbelovedfriendled,andtheothersnodded,unwillingtobeoutdonebytheyoungestmember。
　　"Good！Withallofustolendahand,wecandoagreatdeal;andI
　　tellyou,boys,itistime,ifwewanttokeeppoorBobstraight。Weallturnourbacksonhim,soheloafsroundthetavern,andgoeswithfellowswedon'tcaretoknow。Butheisn'tbadyet,andwecankeephimup,I'msure,ifwejusttry。IhopetogethimintotheLodge,andthatwillbehalfthebattle,won'tit,Frank？"addedEd,surethatthissuggestionwouldhaveweightwiththehonorableChairman。
　　"Bringhimalong;I'mwithyou！"answeredFrank,makinguphismindatonce,forhehadjoinedtheTemperanceLodgefouryearsago,andalreadysixboyshadfollowedhisexample。
　　"Heislearningtosmoke,butwe'llmakehimdropitbeforeitleadstoworse。Youcanhelphimthere,Admiral,ifyouonlywill,"
　　addedEd,givingagratefullookatonefriend,andturningtotheother。
　　"I'myourman";andGuslookedasifheknewwhathepromised,forhehadgivenupsmokingtoobligehisfather,andkepthiswordlikeahero。
　　"Youotherfellowscandoagooddealbyjustbeingkindandnottwittinghimwitholdscrapes,andI'lldoanythingIcanforyoualltopayforthis";andEdsatdownwithabeamingsmile,feelingthathiscausewaswon。
　　Thevotewastaken,andallhandswentup,forevensurlyJoegavein;soBobandTomweredulyelected,andprovedtheirgratitudeforthehonordonethembybecomingworthymembersoftheclub。
　　Itwasonlyboys'playnow,butthekindheartandpureinstinctsofoneladshowedtheothershowtolendahelpinghandtoacomradeindanger,andwinhimawayfromtemptationtothesaferpastimesoftheirmoreguardedlives。
　　Wellpleasedwiththemselves——foreverygenuineactorword,nomatterhowtriflingitseems,leavesasweetandstrengtheninginfluencebehind——thememberssettleddowntothedebate,whichwasneververylong,andoftenonlyanexcuseforfunofallsorts。
　　"Ralph,Gus,andEdarefor,andBrickbat,Grif,andChickagainst,Isuppose？"saidFrank,surveyinghiscompanylikeageneralpreparingforbattle。
　　"No,sir！Ibelieveinco—everything！"criedChick,amildyouth,wholoyallyescortedachosendamselhomefromschooleveryday。
　　Alaughgreetedthisbolddeclaration,andChicksatdown,redbutfirm。
　　"I'llspeakfortwosincetheChairmancan't,andJackwon'tgoagainstthosewhopethimmosttodeath,"saidJoe,who,notbeingafavoritewiththegirls,consideredthemanuisanceandlostnoopportunityoftellingthemso。
　　Fireaway,then,sinceyouareup;commandedFrank。
　　"Well,"beganJoe,feelingtoolatehowmuchhehadundertaken,"Idon'tknowagreatdealaboutit,andIdon'tcare,butIdonotbelieveinhavinggirlsatcollege。They'don'tbelongthere,nobodywants'em,andthey'dbetterbeathomedarningtheirstockings。"
　　"Yours,too,"putinRalph,whohadheardthatargumentsooftenhewastiredofit。
　　"Ofcourse;that'swhatgirlsarefor。Idon'tmind'ematschool,butI'djustassoontheyhadaroomtothemselves。Weshouldgetonbetter。"
　　"YouwouldifMabelwasn'tinyourclassandalwaysaheadofyou,"observedEd,whosefriendwasafinescholar,andheveryproudofthefact。
　　"Lookhere,ifyoufellowskeepinterrupting,Iwon'tsitdownforhalfanhour,"saidJoe,wellknowingthateloquencewasnothisgift,butboundtohavehissayout。
　　Deepsilencereigned,forthatthreatquelledthemostimpatientmember,andJoeprosedon,usingalltheargumentshehadeverheard,andpayingoffseveraloldscoresbysiyhitsofapersonalnature,asolderoratorsoftendo。
　　"Itiscleartomymindthatboyswouldgetonbetterwithoutanygirlsfoolinground。Asfortheirbeingassmartasweare,itisallnonsense,forsomeof'emcryovertheirlessonseveryday,orgohomewithheadaches,orgetmadandscoldallrecess,becausesomething'isn'tfair。'No,sir;girlsain'tmeanttoknowmuch,andtheycan't。WisefolkssaysoandIbelieve'em。Haven'tgotanysistersmyself,andIdon'twantany,forthey'don'tseemtoamounttomuch,accordingtothosewhodohave'em。"
　　GroansfromGusandEdgreetedtheclosingremarksoftheungallantJoe,whosatdown,feelingthathehadmadesomebodysquirm。UpjumpedGrif,thedelightofwhoselifewaspracticaljokes,whichamiableweaknessmadehimtheterrorofthegirls,thoughtheyhadnootherfaulttofindwiththemerrylad。
　　"Mr。Chairman,thegroundItakeisthis:girlshavenotthestrengthtogotocollegewithus。Theycouldn'trowarace,goonalark,ortakecareofthemselves,aswedo。Theyareallwellenoughathome,andIlikethematparties,butforrealfunandgoIwouldn'tgiveacentforthem,"beganGrif,whoseviewsofacollegiatelifewereconfinedtotheenjoymentsratherthanthestudiesofthatfestiveperiod。"Ihavetriedthem,andtheycan'tstandanything。
　　Theyscreamifyoutellthemthereisamouseintheroom,andruniftheyseeabigdog。IjustputacockroachinMolly'sdeskoneday,andwhensheopeneditshejumpedasifshewasshot。"
　　Sodidthegentlemenoftheclub,foratthatmomenthalf—a—dozenfire—crackersexplodedunderthechairGrifhadleft,andflewwildlyabouttheroom。Orderwaswithdifficultyrestored,themischievouspartysummarilychastisedandcommandedtoholdhistongue,underpenaltyofejectmentfromtheroomifhespokeagain。Firmlygraspingthatredandunrulymember,Grifcomposedhimselftolisten,withhisnoseintheairandhiseyesshininglikeblackbeads。
　　Edwasalwaysthepeace—maker,andnow,whenherosewithhisengagingsmile,hisvoicefelllikeoiluponthetroubledwaters,andhisbrightfacewasfullofthebecomingbashfulnesswhichafflictsyouthsofseventeenwhentouchinguponsuchsubjectsofnewlyacquiredinterestasgirlsandtheirpleasantbutperplexingways。
　　"Itseemstomewehavehardlyconsideredthematterenoughtobeabletosaymuch。ButIthinkthatschoolwouldbeawfullydryanddismalwithout——ahem！——anyyoungladiestomakeitnice。I
　　wouldn'tgiveapintogoiftherewasonlyacrowdoffellows,thoughIlikeagoodgameaswellasanyman。Ipityanyboywhohasnosisters,"continuedEd,warmingupashethoughtofhisown,wholovedhimdearly,aswelltheymight,forabetterbrotherneverlived。"Homewouldn'tbeworthhavingwithoutthemtolookafterafellow,tokeephimoutofscrapes,helphimwithhislessons,andmakethingsjollyforhisfriends。Itellyouwecan'tdowithoutgirls,andI'mnotashamedtosaythatIthinkthemoreweseeofthem,andtrytobeliketheminmanyways,thebettermenweshallbebyandby。"
　　"Hear！hear！"criedFrank,inhisdeepesttone,forheheartilyagreedtothat,havingtalkedthematteroverwithhismother,andreceivedmuchlightuponthingswhichshouldalwaysbesetrightinyoungheadsandhearts。Andwhocandothissowiselyandwellasmothers,iftheyonlywill？
　　Feelingthathissentimentshadbeenapproved,andheneednotbeashamedofthehonestcolorinhischeeks,Edsatdownamidtheapplauseofhisside,especiallyofJack,whopoundedsovigorouslywithhiscrutchthatMrs。Pecqpoppedinherheadtoseeifanythingwaswanted。
　　"No,thankyou,ma'am,wewereonlycheeringEd,"saidGus,nowuponhislegs,andratheratalosswhattosaytillMrs。Pecq'sappearancesuggestedanidea,andheseizeduponit。
　　"MyhonoredfriendhasspokensowellthatIhavelittletoadd。I
　　agreewithhim,andifyouwantanexampleofwhatgirlscando,why,lookatJill。She'syoung,Iknow,butafirst—ratescholarforherage。Asforpluck,sheisasbraveasaboy,andalmostassmartatrunning,rowing,andsoon。Ofcourse,shecan'tplayball——nogirlcan;theirarmsarenotmaderighttothrow——butshecancatchremarkablywell。I'llsaythatforher。Now,ifsheandMabel——and——
　　and——someothersIcouldname,aresocleverandstrongatthebeginning,Idon'tseewhytheyshouldn'tkeepupandgoalongwithusallthrough。I'mwilling,andwilldowhatIcantohelpotherfellows'sistersasI'dliketohavethemhelpmine。AndI'llpunchtheirheadsifthey'don't";andGussubsided,assured,byaburstofapplause,thathismanlywayofstatingthecasemetwithgeneralapproval。
　　"Weshallbehappytohearfromourseniormemberifhewillhonoruswithafewremarks,"saidFrank,withabowtoRalph。
　　Nooneeverknewwhomhewouldchoosetopersonate,forheneverspokeinhisowncharacter。Nowheroseslowly,putonehandinhisbosom,andfixinghiseyesternlyonCrif,whowasdoingsomethingsuspiciouswithapin,gavethematouchofSergeantBuzfuz,fromthePickwicktrial,thinkingthatthedebatewasnotlikelytothrowmuchlightonthesubjectunderdiscussion。
　　Inthemidstofthisappealto"Meludandgentlemenofthejury,"
　　hesuddenlypaused,smoothedhishairdownuponhisforehead,rolleduphiseyes,andfoldinghishands,dronedoutMr。
　　Chadband'ssermononPeace,deliveredoverpoorJo,andendingwiththefamouslines:
　　"Oh,runningstreamofsparklingjoy,Tobeaglorioushumanboy！"