"How businesslike it is!" exclaimed Brenda, glancing around the plain room, fitted with its long wooden table, plain walls, at one end of which were many glass bottles and tubes.
"Test tubes," explained Julia, as Brenda asked a question; "and these gas jets that rise from the table are very useful in some of their experiments."
"Yes, that is some of Pamela's Ruskin," Julia added, as Brenda stopped before a simply framed card on which in illuminated text was the following:
"There are three material things, not only useful, but essential to life. No one knows how to live till he has got them.
"These are Pure Air, Water, and Earth.
"There are three immaterial things, not only useful, but essential to life. No one knows how to live till he has got them also.
"These are Admiration, Hope, and Love."
"It looks very scientific," said Brenda, "with all those bottles and tubes. I should call it a regular laboratory."
"So it is," responded Julia; "and though the girls are untrained, and rather young to understand thoroughly the scientific value of much that is taught them, they do enjoy the experiments."
At this moment the teacher entered the room.
"Tell me, Miss Soddern," said Julia, after introducing Brenda to the teacher,—"tell me if the girls have had any success with their bacteria; I know that they are very much interested in their little boxes."
"Oh, I'm going to have them report this morning. You must wait until they come."
In a moment the girls filed in, Concetta, Luisa, Gretchen, Haleema, and the rest whom Brenda knew best, and with them two or three girls from outside who were members of the League; for in this, as in other classes, it had seemed wise to enlarge the work a little. So the class had taken in some of those whom the membership in the League had interested in things that otherwise they might not have had the interest to study.