But Ramsey, drawing the Gilmores with her, came between. "Just a bit ago," she said to the bishop, "didn't you say yes, we must all be as gay and happy as we can?"
"I did, verily. But surely that shouldn't prevent this."
"Oh, surely not!" exclaimed both the players.
"It needn't," said Ramsey. "But if we five"—Gilmores, Courteneys, and herself—"and some others—help you with your meeting to-day will you help us with ours to-morrow?"
"If I can, assuredly! But how will you help me to-day, my young sister?"
On three fingers the young sister—so lately his daughter—counted: "First, we'll get the people to come; we'll tell them you're not going to alarm or distress anybody. Second, if you forget and begin to do it we'll remind you! And, third, we'll take up the collection!"
The senator laughed so much above the rest that the bishop colored as he said: "I never exhort and collect at the same time."
"Oh-h!" sighed Ramsey. "We must collect, you know, to pay our share, each of us, for the care of the sick. And we can't collect to-morrow; we'll all be so busy getting up our own meeting." Her eyes wandered to the senator, so fervently was he urging some matter upon the commodore.
"What," asked the bishop, turning to the players, "is to-morrow's meeting to be for?"
"Why," brightly said the wife, "just to keep every one as gay and happy as we can." But Ramsey added: "And to raise money for the not-sick emigrants, to get them the right food."