"This is 'The Gables Guild'," she explained, "a sort of foundation society that includes all the others as branches. Miss Kingsley is the patron, and she has written on the first page:
'A UNION FOR SELF-CULTURE AND
PHILANTHROPY
Motto:—Being and Doing'."
"Oh, goodness! What does that mean? I'm a duffer at long words," protested Audrey. "Can't you put it into English?"
"Well, it means we've got to do something for ourselves and something for other people too."
"That's simpler."
"We've plenty to choose from out of nineteen branches," said Nellie.
"Don't you think it would hit the mark if we had a Games Club to include hockey, cricket, and tennis, an Entertainments Club to get up plays and concerts, and a Nature Study Union that could absorb the Research Society and the Natural History League both together. These would be for ourselves. Then for the 'Philanthropy' side, we could keep on the Jack Tar Club, and let the Needlework Society and the Home Arts Guild send anything they make to that."
"What's the 'Jack Tar Club', please?" asked Claudia, looking up from her crochet.
"It's to give Christmas presents to the sailors and their wives and children. We packed off a huge big box to Portsmouth last year. Lily Anderson and Lottie Watson and Helen Stanley made some gorgeous things, and revelled in doing them."
"And the rest of us toiled and groaned and grumbled, and ended by borrowing and begging from our long-suffering relations," twinkled Patsie. "Don't think you'll keep that crochet edging for yourself, Dame Claudia! It'll be commandeered to go round a tray-cloth for a Mrs. Jack Tar!"