For a fraction of a second Elliott hesitated. "_I_ would." The words once spoken, fairly swept her out of herself. All her little prudences and selfishnesses and self-distrusts went overboard together. Her cheeks flamed. She dropped the brush and comb she was packing and dashed out of the room. A group of people stood in the kitchen. Without stopping to think, Elliott ran up to them. "Can't Laura go?" she cried eagerly. "It will be so much more comfortable to be two than one. And she is Sidney's twin. I don't know a great deal, but people will help me, and I got dinner this noon. Oh, she must go! Don't you see that she must go?" Father Bob looked at the girl for a minute in silence. Then he spoke: "Well, I guess you're right. I will look after the chickens." "I'll mix their feed," said Gertrude; "I know just how Laura does it--and I'll do the dishes." "I'll get breakfasts," said Bruce. "I'll make the butter," said Tom. "I've watched Mother times enough. And helped her, too." "I'll see to Prince and the kitty," chimed in Priscilla, "and do, oh, lots of things!" "I'll be responsible for the milk," said Henry. "I'll keep house," said Elliott, "if you leave me anything to do." "And I'll help you," said Harriet Gordon. It was really settled in that minute, though Father Bob and Mother Jess talked it over again by themselves. "Are you sure, dear, you want to do this?" Mother Jess asked Elliott. "Perfectly sure," the girl answered. She felt excited and confident, as though she could do anything. "It won't be easy." "I know that. But please let me try." "And there are the Gordons," said Mother Jess, half to herself. "Yes," echoed Elliott, "there are the Gordons." When the little car ran up to the door to take the two over to Upton and Mother Jess and Laura were saying good-by, Laura strained Elliott tight. "I'll love you forever for this," she whispered. Then they were off and with them seemed to have gone something indispensable to the well-being of the people who lived in the white house at the end of the road. Elliott, watching the car vanish around a turn in the road, hugged Laura's words tight to her heart. It was the only way to keep her knees from wabbling at the thought of what was before her. CHAPTER X WHAT'S IN A DRESS? Of course Elliott never could have done it without the Gordons. Elliott and Harriet made the crab-apple juice into jelly, Mrs. Gordon sent in bread and cookies, and both mother and daughter stood behind the girl with their skill and experience, ready to be called on at a moment's notice. "Just send for us any time you get into trouble or want help about something," said Mrs. Gordon over the telephone. "One of us will come right up. Most likely it will be Harriet. I'm so cumbersome, I can't get about as I'd like to. Large bodies move slowly, you know."