"Mrs. Wyndham's husband and his father were friends," said Phyllis, prudently. It was the first time in her short life it had occurred to her to explain her actions.
"Well, come see us; we've got a room with two beds on the third floor." And Phyllis noticed, as they nodded good night, that each wore two buttons bearing photographs of the other two members of their trio.
"Very likely they are nice in their way--poor things!" she thought; "and share comforts and sorrows--but, oh, dear!" And she followed her family sadly up the stairs.
Their own rooms looked very peaceful and refined to the Wyndhams when they got back to them, and Phyllis and Barbara felt comforted when the door was closed behind them; but Jessamy sank into a chair in blank despondency, and her mother could not smile at Bab's wildest sallies.
"First aid to the injured!" cried a cheery voice, and Ruth Wells burst into the gloom--"like an arc-light," Barbara said, jumping up to hug her rapturously.
"No, don't; I've tacks and a hammer here," said Ruth, struggling free. "I knew you had no closets, or none worth calling one, so I came to show you how to make a charity."
"A charity; it covers a multitude of things, you see," laughed Ruth. "You take a board--we can get one down-stairs, probably--saw it off to the right length, and put it in a corner. Then you drive hooks--"
"In the under side--we know," interrupted Phyllis. "Only Doctor Leighton says it is a wigwam."
"Mama, let me call that boy; we'll have a bee--a be-autiful time, too," cried Bab, springing up. "I wonder if I could get him." And she looked wistfully out of the door.
By a strange chance, Tom's door happened to be open. "Do you want me?" he called, seeing the eager little face he had patched up so carefully.
"Yes. Ruth Wells has come, and we're going to make a wigwam, only she calls it a charity, because, she says, it covers a multitude of things," said Bab. "Nixie too; come, Nix."
"I don't know who Ruth Wells is, but we shall be glad to come," responded Tom, with alacrity.
In five minutes the little room was ringing with fun. The "charitable wigwam"--Phyllis's compromise on the name--could not be made for lack of boards, but the young people managed to cover up the dismal impressions of their first experience of the bleak side of life, and that was making a real charity, as Jessamy pointed out in bidding Ruth good night.