Marjorie closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but she found it impossible. Although up to this time she had been quite successful in dismissing her scout troop from her mind during the vacation, she found her old perplexing problems returning. It was Florence who had stirred up this questioning, Florence who had suggested that she did not have a firm hold on the troop, that they would be interested only as long as the basketball season lasted.
When the girls began to dress for dinner, she sought Lily’s advice.
“I don’t want to bother you, Lil, but I must talk scout affairs over with you once in a while. Floss’ remark that the girls are only interested in basket-ball sort of worries me. Couldn’t you suggest some new interest, like you did this one?”
Her chum, who at that moment was trying to decide whether to wear a heliotrope georgette or a black velvet dinner dress, brought her attention with difficulty to Marjorie’s question.
“What—er—yes,” she answered absently.
“Think of something, Lil!” Marjorie pleaded.
Lily looked at her companion in amusement.
“I think, Marj, for your own sake, you ought to forget that troop for a while. You promised you would during the holidays, you know. And everything’s going beautifully—remember the game, and our boxes of chocolates!”
“I know—but who was it who said, ‘In time of peace prepare for war?’ That’s my idea—just keep things going every minute, so that the girls haven’t time to wonder whether they are bored.”
“But my dear, you can’t expect this to keep up all your life! You probably wouldn’t have time for them next year, anyway.”