“Well, so it is.” Jane doggedly stuck to facts, refusing to be teased. “Ruth has a letter from Marian. That means a meeting, doesn’t it?”
“It does,” agreed Frances, “provided Ruth says so.”
“No provided about it,” argued Jane. “If your memory was a trifle longer, you’d remember what we said the other night about holding another meeting when Marian’s answer came.”
“My memory is a great deal lengthier than you seem to think. My remark about Ruth was merely a test to discover the precise length of your memory, Plain Jane.”
“The very idea!” Jane glared, her indignation at this preposterous statement. “Oh, what’s the use,” she groaned, turning her back upon the fatuously smiling face peering at her over the banister.
“None whatever.” Frances made a reckless descent of the remaining stairs and joined the two at the bulletin board.
“Why not hold the meeting now?” proposed Ruth. “It’s only half past four. We’ll have plenty of time before dinner. Emmy is upstairs in our room. We can hold it there as soon as we locate Betty, Anne and Sarah.”
“Betty and Anne haven’t come in yet. They had an errand to do in town,” informed Jane. “They are likely to be here any minute, though. I don’t know where Sarah is.”
“She’s upstairs. I’ll go and tell her the news. We’ll meet you in Ruth’s room. One or both of you had better hang around down here and waylay Betty and Anne,” directed Frances.
“I’ll play herald,” volunteered Jane. “Go on upstairs, Ruth, and wait for us.”