Doctor MacLaren laughed his nice, friendly laugh. “Well, if you are both in some scheme, I should say it was time for honest fellows like me to be careful. Let’s hear what it is.”
“You tell, Rosanna,” said Uncle Robert. “I can’t talk and smoke all at the same time.”
So Rosanna, very brave because of Uncle Robert’s strong arm around her, commenced at the beginning and told all about Gwenny and her family, and her bravery in bearing the burden of her lameness and ill health. And she went on to tell him about the Girl Scouts and all the good they do, and that she was sure that they would help, but they (she and Helen) hated to put it before the meeting unless they had some idea of the amount of money it would be necessary for them to earn. And another thing; what if they should start to get the money, and couldn’t? What a dreadful disappointment it would be for Gwenny and indeed all the family down to Baby Christopher!
The two young men heard her out. Then Uncle Robert said:
“I don’t know the exact reason, but it seems that you cannot work with these Girl Scouts if you are a parent. Are you a parent, Rick?”
“Please don’t tease, Uncle Bobby,” said Rosanna pleadingly. “It is only that we Scout girls are supposed to try to do things ourselves without expecting all sorts of help from our mothers and fathers—and grandmothers and uncles,” she added rather pitifully.
Robert patted her hand. Rosanna was an orphan.
“I see now how it is,” he said. “Tell us, Rick, what you think about this.”
“I think that Saturday morning, when there is no school, Rosanna might take me to call on Miss Gwenny and we will see about what the trouble is. And I think as she does, that it would be very wise to say nothing at all about this plan until we know something about the case. It would be cruel to get the child’s hopes up for nothing. If there is anything that I dare do, I will promise you now that I will gladly do it, but I cannot tell until I see her.”