these well-dressed women who sit on park benches, and yet appear to be
perfectly free from tuberculosis. But Miss Colgate insisted, and Mr.
Bingle, taking a second look at her, said he would be grateful if
she'd stay and watch the littlest ones while he rounded up the big
ones. She shook her head, smiling, and gently ordered him to sit down
and cool off a bit while she gathered in the recalcitrants.

"You look so hot and tired," she said, and her smile was so frankly
sympathetic, so commanding in its sweetness, that Mr. Bingle promptly
sat down and said that it beat all how hot the weather was for early
May. Perhaps they WOULD come for her, he went on shyly; if she didn't
mind calling Frederick, that would be sufficient. Frederick was the
rebel leader. He ought to be spanked. She smiled again, and Mr. Bingle
said to himself that he'd never seen anything so nice. As she walked
away, bent on rounding-up the three boys and Kathleen, he was
impressed by the slim, graceful figure and the manner in which she
carried herself. Nothing ordinary or common about THAT girl, said he;
nothing bold or immodest. Out of the goodness of her heart she had
proffered assistance, as any gently born person would have done. His
heart warmed toward her. It wasn't often that one encountered a pretty
girl who was considerate, sweet-natured and polite to her elders,
especially in New York City. He almost forgot Henrietta and Guinevere
in his contemplation of this extraordinary phenomenon. Indeed,
Henrietta's blubberings went quite unnoticed for some little time, and
it was not until Guinevere sent up a sympathetic howl that he
remembered the "littlest ones" and hastily took them upon his knees,
dropping his hat in his haste.

He was considerably amazed by the swiftness with which his ally
"rounded-up" the five roisterers. She went about it sweetly, even