Margaret surveyed Annie with cool displeasure. "I," said she, "see
nothing whatever to laugh at in the Zenith Club, if you do."

"Oh, Margaret, I don't!" cried Annie.

"To my mind, the Zenith Club is the one institution in this little
place which tends to advancement and mental improvement."

"Oh, Margaret, I think so too, you know I do," said Annie in a
shocked voice. "And my heart was almost broken because I had to miss
that last meeting on account of grandmother's having such a severe
cold."

"The last meeting was not very much to miss," said Margaret, for
Annie had again said the wrong thing.

Annie, however, went on eagerly and unconsciously. She was only aware
that she was being accused of disloyalty, or worse, of actually
poking fun, when something toward which she felt the utmost respect
and love and admiration was concerned.

"Margaret, you know," she cried, "you know how I feel toward the
Zenith Club. You must know what it means to me. It really does take
me out of my little narrow place in life as nothing else does. I
cannot tell you what an inspiration it really is to me. Oh, Margaret,
you know!"

Margaret nodded in stiff assent. As a matter of fact, she _did_ know.
The Zenith Club of Fairbridge did mean very much, very much indeed,