Peggy shook her head in vigorous disagreement. “That’s just what we shouldn’t do,” she said. “It seems to me she’s been left alone too much, and hasn’t been able to do a good job of taking care of herself.”
“But you said that she doesn’t respond to pushing—or direct questions,” Greta commented.
“And we certainly don’t want to—to snoop!” Amy put in.
“I know,” Peggy agreed. “But there is one thing we can do. We can make every effort to show her that we’re her friends, and to show her that she can trust us. If we do it sincerely, without pushing or snooping, I’m sure she’ll confide in us when she wants to.”
“It seems to me that we’ve all made a pretty big effort already,” Greta said tartly. “What more can we do?”
“Well,” Peggy said thoughtfully, “if I were Paula, I might be inclined to think that the effort made so far was more charitable than friendly, if the difference is clear. I mean, we’ve helped her with money and all that ... but that’s not exactly what I mean. I think we ought to do something to show her that we’re glad to know her, and glad that she’s in the show, and ... I don’t know. It’s just that I feel that money alone doesn’t say what needs saying to a girl like Paula. She’s a sensitive person, after all, and she might even resent the financial help, in some subtle way.”
“You may be right, at that,” Amy said softly. “I know that if I were ever in her position ... having to take money from people ... I’d feel pretty uncomfortable about it. Especially if the people were just—well—just casual acquaintances. And after all, that’s what we are to her.”
“That’s just the point,” Peggy said eagerly. “You’ve put it perfectly! We are just casual acquaintances—not close friends. It’s no wonder that she keeps a kind of wall between her and us, even though we are helping her.”
“Rather because we’re helping her,” Greta amended. “Everybody knows it’s a lot harder to take help than to give it.”
“But what can we do to show her that she’s not just a—a charity case to us?” Amy asked.