“I know I have, and I didn’t mean to be cross, Clovy.  The truth is I am all put out.  These girls with incessant talk about the students make me absolutely sick.  It is so unladylike, and so bad, especially for the little ones.  Fancy that mite of a Carrie Steele informing me that she is “in love” with Harry Crosby.  In love!  A baby like that!  She has no business to know that there is such a thing.”

“Yes,” said Clover laughing:  “she wrote his name on a wintergreen lozenge, and bored a hole and hung it round her neck on a blue ribbon.  But it melted and stuck to her frock, and she had to take it off.”

“Whereupon she ate it,” added Rose, who came in at that moment.

The girls shouted, but Katy soon grew grave.  “One can’t help laughing,” she said, “but isn’t it a shame to have such things going on?  Just fancy our Elsie behaving so, Clover!  Why, papa would have a fit.  I declare, I’ve a great mind to get up a society to put down flirting.”

“Do!” said Rose.  “What fun it would be!  Call it ’The Society for the Suppression of Young Men.’  I’ll join.”

“You, indeed!” replied Katy, shaking her head.  “Didn’t I see Berry Searles throw a bunch of syringa into your window only this morning?”

“Dear me! did he?  I shall have to speak to Mary again.  It’s quite shocking to have her go on so.  But really and truly do let us have a Society.  It would be so jolly.  We could meet on Saturday afternoons, and write pieces and have signals and a secret, as Sylvia’s Society did when she was at school.  Get one up, Katy,—­ that’s a dear.”

“But,” said Katy, taken aback by having her random idea so suddenly adopted, “if I did get one up, it would be in real earnest, and it would be a society against flirting.  And you know you can’t help it, Rosy.”

“Yes, I can.  You are doing me great injustice.  I don’t behave like those girls in Attic Row.  I never did.  I just bow to Berry and the rest whom I really know,—­never to anybody else.  And you must see, Katherine darling, that it would be the height of ingratitude if I didn’t bow to the boys who made mud pies for me when I was little, and lent me their marbles, and did all sorts of kind things.  Now wouldn’t it?”—­coaxingly.

“Per—­haps,” admitted Katy, with a smile.  “But you’re such a witch!”

“I’m not,—­indeed I’m not.  I’ll be a pillar of society if only you’ll provide a Society for me to be a pillar of.  Now, Katy, do—­ah, do, do!”

When Rose was in a coaxing mood, few people could resist her.  Katy yielded, and between jest and earnest the matter was settled.  Katy was to head the plan and invite the members.

“Only a few at first,” suggested Rose.  “When it is proved to be a success, and everybody wants to join, we can let in two or three more as a great favor.  What shall the name be?  We’ll keep it a secret, whatever it is.  There’s no fun in a society without a secret.”