Madison smiled at her quietly.

"It will come," he said. "People will give their money, their jewels,
anything, and give joyfully--and until the amount in hand is large
enough to warrant beginning operations, Miss Vail naturally will be its
guardian."

"I?" said Helena hesitatingly. "I--I am only a girl, I would not know
what to do."

"You would not have to do anything, Miss Vail," Madison informed her
reassuringly. "When the time comes for advice, the making of plans and
the carrying of them out, the brightest minds in this country will be
offered freely and voluntarily, you will see."

"And meanwhile," inquired Thornton--he had been studying Helena's
profile intently, "would you propose keeping the contributions here?"

"Of course!" said Madison. "And not only here, but openly displayed as
an added incentive for others to give--if added incentive be needed.
Here, for instance"--he rose as he spoke, went to the mantel over the
fireplace and lifted down a quaint, japanned box, fashioned in the shape
of a little chest, which he placed upon the table. "And here, too"--he
crossed to the bookshelves in the alcove, and took down a very old,
flexible-covered book. "Once," he said, "the Patriarch showed me this.
It was a blank book originally, half of it is blank still; but in the
front, in the Patriarch's own writing, is an essay he wrote in the years
gone by on 'The Power of Faith'--what could be more fitting than that
the remaining pages should be filled with a record of the contributions