"Come on," Shirley said, jumping up. "We're going to have another honorary member."
"I think it would be kind, girls," Mrs. Shaw said gravely. "Jane will feel herself immensely flattered, and I know of no one who upholds the honor of Winton more honestly or persistently."
"And please, Mrs. Shaw," Shirley coaxed, "when we come back, mayn't
Patience Shaw, H. M., come down and have tea with us?"
"I hardly think—"
"Please, Mother Shaw," Hilary broke in; "after all—she started this, you know. That sort of counterbalances the other, doesn't it?"
"Well, we'll see," her mother laughed.
Pauline ran to get one of the extra badges with which Shirley had provided her, and then the four girls went across to the church.
Sextoness Jane was just locking the back door—not the least important part of the afternoon's duties with her—as they came through the opening in the hedge. "Good afternoon," she said cheerily, "was you wanting to go inside?"
"No," Pauline answered, "we came over to invite you to join our club.
We thought, maybe, you'd like to?"
"My Land!" Jane stared from one to another of them. "And wear one of them blue-ribbon affairs?"