“Wait, Jean. I haven’t got anybody down except those four seniors. We have to have four more.”
The other four seniors were listed, two senior girls acceptable to the S. P.’s selected. The six junior Black Wizards were discussed and several junior girls added to the list. There was more discussion about the sophomores, their own class friends. Six sophomore boys completed the number of sixteen Black Wizards, but the whole class numbered twenty-five. What should be done?
“I suggest that we invite all these girls that we want, and if there are more girls than boys it won’t make much difference, for Nan and I at least will have to wait on table, and Molly would help us, I thought. We can have a woman in the kitchen to help, Mother says, but we haven’t any money to have waiters, you know.”
“I think it will be just the thing to have all of us S. P.’s in our costumes, you know, and waiting on the table and managing everything; indeed, Jean, I don’t see how it could go off well without it, though you ought to sit at the head of the table, starting it off as president.”
But Jean shook her head. “I think we might have some place fixed for us, a little table, or something, because we want to enjoy the good supper, too. But if you girls are willing to be ‘extras,’ it will give us a chance to have more sophomore girls. The other boys might feel funny to be with so many Black Wizards,—don’t you think, and couldn’t we have a sophomore party up here soon, to make everybody feel all right?”
The girls thought that fitting, for there were boys outside of the Black Wizards whom they liked. They sighed with relief when their list was completed. Eight seniors, twelve juniors and twelve sophomores would be seated at a long table which should run the “length of the house, almost,” where the third floor roof was highest in the center. “Sixteen on each side, girls, and two places on each end for Fran, Bess, Leigh and Phoebe,—to keep order,” announced Jean. “You see, after the whole meal is ready to serve, it will only take Molly, Nan and me to do all the waiting necessary.”
“All right,” said Fran. “We’ll all help prepare the tables beforehand, of course.”
“I’ll get Jimmy to help fix the long table, if there’s no objection,” said Jean.
“No objection whatever,” said several of the girls. “Who cares?” asked Fran. “Pledge Billy to secrecy about anything he sees and get him to come over to help you, Jean, if you need him. He’d like the fun, and we’ll not put up our posters anyway until afternoon.”
No hint of the great celebration had been given, for the girls were pledged to silence. With the exception of Mrs. Gordon not even the parents knew that the girls were planning anything except the completion of their “club room.” In consequence, a number of girls were happily surprised by neat invitations to an Attic Party at the home of Jean Gordon.