Willies Plans Blossom. 205

This would have been easy enough also without
going far from the door, but both Willie and his
father were practical men, and therefore could not
be content with merely doing good: they wanted to
do as much good as they could. It would not
therefore satisfy them to put into their new room
such a person—say, as Mrs Wilson, who could get
on pretty well where she was, though she might
have been made more comfortable. But suppose
they could find the sickly mother of a large family,
whom a few weeks of change, with the fine air from
the hills and the wonderful water from the Prior’s
well, would restore to strength and cheerfulness,
how much more good would they not be doing in
that way—seeing that to help a mother with
children is to help all the children as well, not to
mention the husband and the friends of the family!
There were plenty such to be found amongst the
patients he had to attend while at college. The
expense of living was not great at. Priory Leas, and
Mr MacMichael was willing to bear that, if only to
test the influences of the water and climate upon
strangers.

Although it was not by any means the best season
for the experiment, it was yet thoroughly success-
ful with the pale rheumatic mother of six, whom
Willie first sent home to his father’s care. She
returned to her children at Christmas, comparatively
a hale woman, capable of making them and every-