But Miss Mackenzie, with a sniff, took up the little talisman and turned it from right to left.

“‘Wild Irish Girls,’” she said aloud.  “What can this mean?”

“I can throw some light on the subject, but not much,” said Miss Ravenscroft.  “It is quite evident that a society calling itself by this name exists, and that it has been instituted and formed altogether by Kathleen O’Hara, who has induced a great number—­I should say fully half—­of the foundationers to join her.  They meet, I have discovered, at night; their rendezvous being, up to the present, a certain quarry a short distance out of town.  What they do at their meetings I cannot tell, but I believe they are very riotous, with singing and dancing and sports of all sorts.  Of course, as you know, Miss Mackenzie, such proceedings are altogether prohibited in our school.”

“But this takes place out of school,” said Mrs. Naylor.

“Mrs. Naylor, I should be much obliged if you would allow Miss Ravenscroft to continue,” said Miss Mackenzie.

Miss Ravenscroft did continue.

“Putting aside that question,” she said, “the effect on the girls is most disastrous.  They are completely out of my control, and I know for a fact that they do not care to please any one except Kathleen O’Hara.”

“Of course our duty is plain,” said Miss Mackenzie.  “We must get the ringleader into custody, so to speak, and either bind her over to break up the society, and so keep the peace, or expel her from the school.”

“She is a difficult girl to deal with,” said Miss Ravenscroft.  “She has a great deal that is good in her; she is handsome and rich, very affectionate, and full of spirit.”

“But what has a girl who is handsome and rich to do in a school like the Great Shirley?” asked Mrs. Ross.

“That is the curious part of it.  Kathleen’s mother was educated in this school, and she made up her mind that her daughter should never go to any other.  Kathleen lives with the Tennants.  I should be sorry if she were expelled; there is so much that is good in her.  It would be a pity to harden her or hold her up to public disgrace.  I hope some other way may be discovered of bringing her to order.”

“You are quite right.  Miss Ravenscroft,” said Miss Smyth.  “I never did hold with the severe hardening process.”

“Certainly in the case of Kathleen it would do no good,” said Miss Ravenscroft.

“But what do you propose to do, then?” said Miss Mackenzie.  “You have not, I presume, asked us to come here without having some plan in your head.”

“The first thing to do is to get hold of all possible facts,” said Miss Ravenscroft.  “Now, there is one girl in the school who could tell us—­a charming girl, a new girl—­for she also only joined this term—­but in all respects the opposite of Kathleen O’Hara.  She for a short time belonged to the rebels, as I must call the Wild Irish Girls, but she saw the folly of her conduct and left them.  She could tell us all about them if she liked, and help us to bring the insurrection to an end.”