and she feared lest some young people, not holding themselves perfectly
in hand, might be moved to sentimental and unreflecting declaration.

If there had been any such danger, Marcia Dayne dispelled it. She was
all aglow with a new joy of her own, whose secret none knew but herself,
though one other had almost dared to hope he could guess.

"May I speak?" she asked. "I have no decision to make for myself. Last
year I took the 'Whatever, whenever, wherever' pledge, and I intend to
keep it, though I am not yet sure what it will mean. But I know a boy
here who will not talk unless somebody asks him, and there's a reason
why I think he should be asked. Please, mayn't we hear from John Wesley
Farwell, Jr., about _his_ kind of a call?"

J.W., taken unawares at the mention of his name, was still at a loss
when the leader seconded Marcia's invitation; and the knowledge that he
was expected to say something unusual did not make for self-control. But
he understood Marcia's purpose, and tried to pull himself together.

"Miss Dayne is president of our home Chapter, and she had a lot to do
with my coming to the Institute," he began. "She has heard me talk since
I found out a little about the Institute, and I told her this morning
something of what Joe Carbrook and I had discussed last night after the
camp fire."

Well, to get to the point, I think she wants me to say, and I'm saying
it to myself most of all, that for nearly all of us young people,
Christian lifework must mean making an honest living, doing all we can
to make our religion count at home, and then backing up with all we've
got, by prayer and money and brains, all these others like Joe Carbrook