'It's now we need help. By-and-by there'll be plenty. But I'm not going to worry you,' she caught herself up. Then, confidentially, 'We've got one new helper that we've great hopes of. She joined to-day.'
'Some one who can speak?'
'Oh, she'll speak, I dare say, by and by.'
'What does she do in the meantime—to——' (to account for your enthusiasm, was implied) 'to show she's a helper? Subscribes?'
'I expect she'll subscribe, too. She takes such an interest. Plenty of courage, too.'
'How do you know?'
'Well'—the voice dropped—'she's all right, but she belongs to rather stodgy people. Bothers about respectability, and that sort of thing. But she came along with me this afternoon distributing handbills all over the City for two hours! Not many women of her kind are ready to do that the first thing.'
'No, I dare say not,' said Vida, humbly.
'And one thing I thought a very good sign'—Ernestine bent lower in her enthusiasm—'when we got to Finsbury Circus she said'—Ernestine paused as if struck afresh by the merits of the new recruit—'she said, "Give me a piece of chalk!"'