It was broken by the Chief Guardian. "With this sign you become a Wood Gatherer," and she laid the fingers of her right hand across those of her left. The candidate made the same sign; then she held out her hand, and Mrs. Royall slipped on her finger the silver ring, which all Camp Fire Girls are entitled to wear, and as she did so she said, "'As fagots are brought from the forest Firmly held by the sinews which bind them, So cleave to these others, your sisters, Whenever, wherever you find them. Be strong as the fagots are sturdy; Be pure in your deepest desire; Be true to the truth that is in you; And--follow the law of the fire.'" The girl returned to her place in the circle, and at a sign from Anne Wentworth, four of her girls followed her as she moved forward and stood before Mrs. Royall. From a paper in her hand she read the names of the four girls, and declared that they had all met the tests for the second grade. The Chief Guardian turned to the four. "What is your desire?" she asked, and together they repeated, "'As fuel is brought to the fire So I purpose to bring My strength, My ambition, My heart's desire, My joy, And my sorrow To the fire Of humankind. For I will tend As my fathers have tended, And my father's fathers Since time began, The fire that is called The love of man for man, The love of man for God.'" As the young earnest voices repeated the beautiful words, Laura Haven's heart thrilled again with the solemn beauty of it all, and tears crowded to her eyes in the silence that followed--a silence broken only by the whispering of the night wind high in the treetops. Then Mrs. Royall lifted her hand and soft and low the young voices chanted, "'Lay me to sleep in sheltering flame, O Master of the Hidden Fire; Wash pure my heart, and cleanse for me My soul's desire. In flame of service bathe my mind, O Master of the Hidden Fire, That when I wake clear-eyed may be My soul's desire.'" It was over, and the circle broke again into laughing, chattering groups. Lanterns were lighted, every spark of the Council Fire carefully extinguished, and then back through the woods the procession wound, laughing, talking, sometimes breaking into snatches of song, the lanterns throwing strange wavering patches of light into the dense darkness of the woods on either side. II INTRODUCING THE PROBLEM "You did enjoy it, didn't you?" Anne said as the two walked back through the woods-path to camp. "I loved every bit of it," was the enthusiastic response. "It's so different from anything else--so fresh and picturesque and full of interest! I should think girls would be wild to belong." "They are. Camp Fires are being organised all over the country. The trouble is that there are not yet enough older girls trained for Guardians." "Where can they get the training?"