you were all penitent--and I forgave you."

"Yes, but we had to be punished," explained Faith. "It's our
rule--in our Good-Conduct Club, you know--if we do anything
wrong, or anything that is likely to hurt father in the
congregation, we HAVE to punish ourselves. We are bringing
ourselves up, you know, because there is nobody to do it."

Mr. Meredith groaned, but the doctor got up from Una's side with
an air of relief.

"Then this child simply fainted from lack of food and all she
needs is a good square meal," he said. "Mrs. Clow, will you be
kind enough to see she gets it? And I think from Faith's story
that they all would be the better for something to eat, or we
shall have more faintings."

"I suppose we shouldn't have made Una fast," said Faith
remorsefully. "When I think of it, only Jerry and I should have
been punished. WE got up the concert and we were the oldest."

"I sang _Polly Wolly_ just the same as the rest of you," said
Una's weak little voice, "so I had to be punished, too."

Mrs. Clow came with a glass of milk, Faith and Jerry and Carl
sneaked off to the pantry, and John Meredith went into his study,
where he sat in the darkness for a long time, alone with his
bitter thoughts. So his children were bringing themselves up
because there was "nobody to do it"--struggling along amid their
little perplexities without a hand to guide or a voice to