What on earth are you doing, Isabel?” For Isabel had jumped down from her lofty seat and was creeping stealthily around a steep rock.

“Looking for the ‘gentlemen.’”

“There are some people who always take everything literally, Dr. Carver says. Miss Van Buskirk has the floor.”

“Some of you know Miss Randolph sent for me today, and I thought that you would like to hear about some of the things she said. For one thing, I asked her if she had any objection to our having a little society and she said no, she wouldn’t unless we were planning to have too many ‘social affairs’ and ‘nonsense.’ I told her ‘no more than usual.’ They do not allow regular secret societies here, she said, but there have been lots of girls’ clubs. We knew of some last year, you know. She asked me if we had any object, and I couldn’t say that we had.”

“That Fudge Club last year was so silly,” said Isabel.

Eloise shook her finger at Isabel: “No interruptions.”

“It was a letter from Aunt Katherine and some private matters that she wanted to see me about, but while I knew she was so busy I did get in a question or two about this club, and I asked her, too, about what Hilary wanted to know,—whether a literary society would be a good thing. Hilary will tell you about that, but I want to tell you one lovely thing that Miss Randolph said about us. I can remember her words. She said, ‘Cathalina, your little group of friends seems to stand for the best that there is in Greycliff, and I hope that you all will take hold of things in the academy classes this year and use your influence.’”

The girls all looked pleased. “Miss Randolph is an old peach,” declared Isabel.

“That is all, Madame Chairman.”

“Won’t you tell us what your idea of this society is?”

“O, don’t believe I have any more than the rest. Only it seems as if we might have a little informal club just as well as not, since we are always getting together anyway, and whenever there is anything important on hand we always call a ‘solemn conclave’ anyhow. I think it would be lovely to belong to something together and have a pin or a ring and a name, and perhaps keep a ‘round robin’ going after we are away from dear old Greycliff.”

“O, yes, let’s!” exclaimed Avalon. Turning to Isabel, she added, “Aren’t you glad that they asked us to 

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