There was a silence amongst the girls until Mary Rand shouted: 

“Hip! hip! hurrah!”

The whole eight immediately broke into a ringing cheer.

“Welcome, Queen Kathleen,” they said—­“welcome;” and they held out their hands and clasped the hands of the Irish girl.

“I am glad,” said Kathleen.

“What about?” said Clara Sawyer.

“Why, you have crowned me queen yourselves.  Now I can do what I like with you all.”

“You certainly can,” said Susy Hopkins.—­“We are devoted to our queen, aren’t we, girls?”

“We have fallen in love with her on the spot,” said Rosy Myers.

“I never saw any one quite so lovely before as the queen,” said Mary Rand.

“It isn’t only that she’s lovely, she is so genteel,” said Susy Hopkins.

“Aristocratic!” cried Kate.—­“Hannah Johnson, you haven’t given your opinion yet.—­And, Ruth Craven, you haven’t given yours.”

“I reserve my opinion,” said Ruth.

“And I say there’s a great deal of humbug and balder-dash in the world,” said Hannah Johnson.

Ruth’s remark was unexpected, but the girls pooh-poohed Hannah’s.  Who was Hannah Johnson that she dared to speak so rudely to one so charming and beautiful as Kathleen O’Hara?  There was a disconcerting pause, and then Kathleen said: 

“Hannah, doubtless you are right.  There is plenty of humbug in the world; but I don’t think I am one.  Now the question is:  Shall I be on the side of the foundationers, or shall I be on the side of the paying girls in the Great Shirley School?”

“Indeed, darling,” said Rosy Myers, “you shall be on our side.  Those horrid, stuck-up paying girls don’t want you; and we do.  Nothing will induce us to give you up.  It is a chance to get a girl like you, so lovely and so sweet and so rich, to be one of us.”

“Well, I think I can give you a good time, and I can show those others with their snobbish ways—­”

“Hear, hear!” cried the excited girls.

“I can show the others what I think of them.  They won’t snub me, but perhaps I shall snub them.  Well, girls, as we have decided to band together, we must draw up rules; and when they are drawn up we must obey them.  I, of course, will be your head; as you have made me queen, that is the natural thing to expect.”

“Of course,” said Susy.

Kathleen clapped her hands.

“This is going to be a real good secret society,” she said.  “What fun it all will be!”

The girls laughed, and clustered with more and more friendliness round Kathleen.

“You are our queen,” said Kate.  “There are eight of us here, and we all swear allegiance to you.—­Don’t we, girls?”

“Certainly,” said Susy.

“Unquestionably,” remarked Mary.

“With all my heart,” said Rose.

“And mine,” echoed Clara.

“And mine,” said Kate.

“I will join the others, although I don’t approve,” said Hannah Johnson, with a somewhat unwilling nod.