"Th' deed is did!" said Uncle Robert, and as soon as he could break into the conversation, he said: "Rick, Rosanna and I want to consult you."

Rosanna squeezed his hand for that; it was so much nicer than to put it all off on her.

Doctor MacLaren laughed his nice, friendly laugh. "Well, if you are both in some scheme, I should say it was time for honest fellows like me to be careful. Let's hear what it is."

"You tell, Rosanna," said Uncle Robert. "I can't talk and smoke all at the same time."

So Rosanna, very brave because of Uncle Robert's strong arm around her, commenced at the beginning and told all about Gwenny and her family, and her bravery in bearing the burden of her lameness and ill health. And she went on to tell him about the Girl Scouts and all the good they do, and that she was sure that they would help, but they (she and Helen) hated to put it before the meeting unless they had some idea of the amount of money it would be necessary for them to earn. And another thing; what if they should start to get the money, and couldn't? What a _dreadful_ disappointment it would be for Gwenny and indeed all the family down to Baby Christopher!

The two young men heard her out. Then Uncle Robert said:

"I don't know the exact reason, but it seems that you cannot work with these Girl Scouts if you are a parent. Are you a parent, Rick?"

"Please don't tease, Uncle Bobby," said Rosanna pleadingly. "It is only that we Scout girls are supposed to try to do things ourselves without expecting all sorts of help from our mothers and fathers--and grandmothers and uncles," she added rather pitifully.

Robert patted her hand. Rosanna was an orphan.

"I see now how it is," he said. "Tell us, Rick, what you think about this."

"I think that Sat.u.r.day morning, when there is no school, Rosanna might take me to call on Miss Gwenny and we will see about what the trouble is. And I think as she does, that it would be very wise to say nothing at all about this plan until we know something about the case. It would be cruel to get the child's hopes up for nothing. If there is anything that I dare do, I will promise you now that I will gladly do it, but I cannot tell until I see her."

"Thank you ever and ever so much!" said Rosanna. "We won't tell anyone a thing about it!"

"Can you drive over to Gwenny's tomorrow and tell her mother that a doctor friend of mine is coming to see her?" asked Uncle Robert.

"Indeed I can if grandmother is willing!" said Rosanna. "Oh, I _do_ feel as though we will think up some way of earning the money!"

Rosanna was so happy that she overslept next morning and was nearly late getting to school, so she did not see Helen until they were dismissed.

They walked slowly home and sat down on their favorite place on the top step. They had been sitting quietly, watching a group of children playing in the leaves, when Rosanna jumped to her feet and commenced to dance up and down.

"Oh, Helen, Helen," she cried. "I believe I have it! I believe I have it! Oh, I am _so_ excited!"

"Well, do tell me!" exclaimed Helen.

"That is just what I am going to do," said Rosanna, still dancing.

"Let's go around in the garden and sit in the rose arbor where no one will disturb us."

"That is the thing to do," agreed Helen, and together they went skipping through the iron gateway that led into the lovely old garden. Once upon a time that gate had been kept locked and little Rosanna had been almost a prisoner among the flowers and trees that made the garden so lovely.

But now the gate swung on well-oiled hinges and all the little Girl Scouts were welcome to come and play with Rosanna in her playhouse or ride her fat little pony around the gravelled paths.

The children banged the gate shut behind them and went to the most sheltered spot in the garden, the rose arbor, where they were hidden from view. They threw their school books on the rustic table and settled themselves in two big chairs.

"Now _do go on_," said Helen with a little thrill in her voice. "Oh, I _do_ feel that you have thought up something splendid!"

CHAPTER III

"I have been thinking and thinking," said Rosanna, "and not an idea have I had until just now. Here is what I just thought up.

"You know Uncle Bob was telling me about benefit performances that actors and musicians have. I think they get them up themselves mostly, when they want some money, but I was talking to Minnie about it yesterday when she came in for a minute and she says in her church they have benefits all the time. People sing and play and recite poetry, and it is lovely. And I thought up something better still.

"What if you and I, Helen, could make up a sort of play all about the Girl Scouts and give it?"

"Write it out of our heads?" said Helen, quite aghast.

"Yes," said Rosanna. "It is easy. Before grandmother used to let me have little girls to play with, I used to make up plays, oh lots of times!"

"With conversations?" pressed Helen.

"Yes, made up of conversations and coming on the stage and going off again, and people dying, and everything."

"Dear me!" said Helen with the air of one who never suspected such a thing of a friend. "_Dear me!_" she said again. "I am sure I could _never_ do it. You will have to do it yourself. What is it going to be about?"

"Why, I have to have time to think," said Rosanna. "You have to think a long time when you are going to be an author. It is very difficult."

"You don't suppose you are all out of practice, do you?" asked Helen anxiously. "Why, Rosanna, that would be too perfectly splendid! A real play! Where could we give it? We couldn't rent a real theatre."

"Oh, my, no!" said Rosanna, beginning to be rather frightened at the picture Helen was conjuring up. "We won't have that sort of a play. We will have a little one that we can give in grandmother's parlor, or over at Mrs. Hargrave's."

"I wouldn't," said Helen stoutly. "I just know you can write a beautiful play, Rosanna, and I think we ought to give it in some big place where a lot of people can come, and we will have tickets, and chairs all in rows and a curtain and everything."

"Oh, I don't believe I could write a good enough play for all that,"

cried Rosanna.

"Well, just do the best you can and I know it will be perfectly lovely."

"I tell you what," said Rosanna, beginning to be sorry that she had spoken. "Please don't tell Elise or anyone about it until I see what I can write, and then after you and I have read it, if it is good enough, we will show it to Uncle Robert and see what he says."

"It _will_ be good enough," said Helen positively. "Just think of the piece of poetry you wrote to read at the Girl Scout meeting. It was so lovely that I 'most cried. All that part about the new moon, and how you felt when you died. It sounded so true, and yet I don't see how you know how you are going to feel when you die. I can't feel it at all. I suppose that is because you are a poet. Mother says it is a great and beautiful thing to be a poet, but that you must look out for your digestion."

"My digestion is all right so far," said Rosanna. "I am glad to know that, though, because if your mother says so, it must be so."

"Of course!" said Helen proudly. "When will you begin your play, Rosanna?"

"Right away after dinner," said Rosanna. "That is, if Uncle Robert goes out. If he stays at home I will have to play cribbage with him. If I go off to my own room, he comes right up. He says he is afraid that I will get to nursing a secret sorrow."

"What is a secret sorrow?" asked Helen.

"I don't know exactly," said Rosanna. "Uncle Robert looked sort of funny when I asked him, and perhaps he made it up because he just said, 'Why--er, why--er, a secret sorrow is--don't you know what it is, Rosanna?'"

"Sometimes I wonder if your Uncle Robert really means all he says," said Helen suspiciously.

"I wonder too," agreed Rosanna, nodding, "but he is a perfect dear, anyway, even if he is old. He is twenty-four, and grandmother is always saying that Robert is old enough to know better."

"I know he will be all sorts of help about our play, anyway," said Helen.