"We will take this one," she said, haughtily, without vouchsafing it a
look. "I presume it is as good as any of them, and, since we are fairly
into this absurd scrape we must make the best of it."

"Or the worst of it," Marion said, still laughing. "You are bent on
doing that, I think, Ruthie."

By a violent effort and rare good sense Ruth controlled herself
sufficiently to laugh, and the embarrassment vanished. There were
splendid points about this girl's character, not the least among them
being the ability to laugh at a joke that had been turned toward
herself. At least the effect was splendid. The reasons, therefore, might
have been better. It was because her sharp brain saw the better effect
that her ability to do this thing immediately produced on the people
around her. But I shall have to confess that a poise of character strong
enough to gracefully avert unpleasant effects arising from causes of her
own making ought to have been strong enough to have suppressed the
causes.

The question of an abiding-place being thus summarily disposed of, the
party set themselves to work with great energy to get settled, Marion
and Eurie taking the lead. Both were used to both planning and working,
and Marion at least had so much of it to do as to have lost all desire
to lead unnecessarily, and therefore everything grew harmonious.

There was a good deal of genuine disgust in Ruth's part of it, though,
her eyes having been opened, she bravely tried to hide the feeling from
the rest. But you will remember that she had lived and breathed in an
atmosphere of elegant refinement all her life, accepting the luxuries of