Joan blamed herself for feeling so light-hearted and gay during this family crisis, but she could not help it. A very short time ago the knowledge that battle was engaged in the very heart of the house would have made her miserable and apprehensive, but now it seemed to be all outside her and unconnected with her as though she had a life of her own that no one could touch. Her courage seemed to grow with every half-hour of her life. Some months passed, and then one morning she came into the drawing-room and found her mother rather bewildered and distressed. "Oh dear, I really don't know what to do!" said her mother. It was so seldom that Joan was appealed to for advice that her heart now beat with pride. "What's the matter, mother?" she asked, trying to look dignified and unconcerned. Mrs. Brandon looked at her with a frightened and startled look as though she had been speaking to herself and had not wished to be overheard. "Oh, Joan!...I didn't know that you were there!" "What's the matter? Is it anything I can help about?" "'No, dear, nothing...really I didn't know that you were there." "No, but you must let me help, mother." Joan marvelled at her own boldness as she spoke. "It's nothing you can do, dear." "But it's sure to be something I can do. Do you know that I've been home for months and months simply with the idea of helping you, and I'm never allowed to do anything?" "Really, Joan--I don't think that's quite the way to speak." "No, but, mother, it's true. I _want_ to help. I'm grown up. I'm going to dinner at the Castle, and I _must_ help you, or--or--I shall go away and earn my own living!" This last was so startling and fantastic that both Joan and her mother stared at one another in a kind of horrified amazement. "No, I didn't mean that, of course," Joan said, hurriedly recovering herself. "But you must see that I must have some work to do." "I don't know what your father would say," said Mrs. Brandon, still bewildered. "Oh, never mind father," said Joan quickly; "this is a matter just between you and me. I'm here to help you, and you must let me do something. Now, what's the trouble to-day?" "I don't know, dear. There's no trouble exactly. Things are so difficult just now. The fact is that I promised to go to tea with Miss Burnett this afternoon and now your father wants me to go with him to the Deanery. So provoking! Miss Burnett caught me in the street, where it's always so difficult to think of excuses." "Let me go to Miss Burnett's instead," said Joan. "It's quite time I took on some of the calling for you. I've never seen Mr. Morris, and I hear he's very nice." "Very well, dear," said Mrs. Brandon, suddenly beginning, as her way was when there was any real opposition, to capitulate on all sides at once. "Suppose you do go, dear. I'm sure it's very kind of you. And you might take those books back to the Circulating Library as well. It's Market-Day. Are you sure you won't mind the horses and cows and dogs?"