not long over a year after they had created the cedars trust its rules laid down , its rooms laid out , and after all the work my father had put in then stella , whod been strictest of all the residents over needing to take their plan seriously , and how they werent just neighbours any more but had a responsibility to each other and needed to pay their money promptly ; stella , the architect of the whole scheme , called a special committee meeting to say she had a friend who had no money , no means of paying his fees , but that once youd heard his story youd be as eager to have him be a resident as she was .