It was May Burnham who explained the project, since it was she who had originated it, and afterwards they all discussed it. Mr. Grayson’s birthday fell on the twenty-fifth of October, and, as Morris pointed out, they had only some five weeks in which to prepare for it. Louise read from a list the articles necessary to a thorough refurnishing of the Principal’s office at the High School. There must be a new rug, a flat-topped desk, a swivel-chair, an easy-chair, a straight-backed chair, a revolving book-case and a filing-cabinet; although, as Louise explained, the latter wasn’t so important since the one now in use was in good condition. “Only,” she said, “we thought the other furniture ought to be mahogany, and the filing-cabinet there now is oak and it would look sort of funny, I suppose, with the other things.” “How much would all that cost?” asked Lanny anxiously. “We don’t know exactly. We can get the furniture from a New York store where papa buys things and they will give it to us at a discount.” “How much of a discount?” asked Dick. “Thirty per cent.,” replied Morris. “That would make quite a difference. Read the prices we figured, Louise.” “Rug, sixteen dollars,” announced his sister, referring again to the paper; “desk, forty-five; revolving book-case, twelve; swivel-chair, twelve; easy-chair, twenty; straight chair, five; filing-cabinet, eighteen. Total, one hundred and twenty-eight.” There was a moment’s silence. Then Gordon whistled expressively. Dick shook his head. “That’s a lot of money to have to get in four weeks,” he said. “Five,” said Morris. “Well, five, if you like, Morris, but we’d probably have to pay for the things before we got them and it would take a week to get them here, I guess.” “There are nearly three hundred students in school,” said Grace Lovering, “and if each only gave fifty cents we’d have a hundred and fifty.” “I know, but some won’t give anything――a few won’t, that is――and some will give nearer a quarter than a half.” “And a lot will give a dollar,” protested Nell Sawin. “I’m going to give two dollars, and so is May, and Louise says she will give five!” “Let’s start the list now,” said Louise. “Get some paper, Morris, and a pen, won’t you? I think either Dick or Lanny ought to head it.” “I’m afraid I can’t give more than a dollar,” said Dick. “So perhaps someone else had better start it.” “You do it, Louise,” suggested Gordon. “Five dollars will look pretty good at the top of it.” “I thought of that,” said Louise, “but we were afraid it would look as if we expected everyone to give as much. And of course we don’t want anyone to give more than he feels he can afford.” “It’s up to Lanny, then,” said Morris, returning with paper and pen. “Who’s going to write this, and what do you want to say?” “You do it,” replied his sister. “Just write ‘The undersigned agree to subscribe the amounts set against their names for the purpose――the purpose――――’”