“Can’t you tell us, Kathleen,” she said, “how to get Ireland into England—­how to introduce what is good of Ireland into England?  That is the use of the society as far as I am concerned.  With the exception of yourself we are all English girls.”

“Yes,” said Susy suddenly; “and we have very bad times most of us.  I wish you knew what a dull evening I have just been living through—­taking care of a tiny, very dull little shop.  Mother was out looking after a sick child, and I had to mind the shop.  Poor women came in for penn’orths of paper.  I can tell you there wasn’t much freedom about that; it was all horrid.”

“Well, we have shops in Ireland too,” continued Kathleen, “and I suppose people have to mind them.  But what I want to say now is this.  I have been sent over to this country to learn.  My aunt Katie O’Flynn—­she’s the finest figure of a woman you ever laid eyes on—­thought that I ought to have learning; mother thought so too, but the dad didn’t much care.  However, I needn’t worry you about that.  I have been sent here, and here I am.  When I came to your wonderful school and looked all around me, I said to myself, ’If I’m not to have companions, why, I’ll die; the heart of Kathleen O’Hara will be broken.  Now, who amongst the schoolgirls will suit me?  I saw that very dull Cassandra Weldon, and I noticed a few companions of hers who were much the same sort.  Then I observed dear, pretty little Ruth Craven, and some one said to me, ’You won’t take much notice of Ruth, for she’s only a foundation girl.’  That made me mad.  Oh yes, it did—­Give me your hand, Ruth.—­That made my whole heart go out to Ruth.  Then I was told that a lot of the girls were foundation girls, and they weren’t as rich as the others, and they were somewhat snubbed.  So I thought, ’My time has come.  I am an Irish girl, and the heritage of every Irish girl, handed down to her from a long line of ancestors, is to help the oppressed,’ So now I am going to help all of you, and we are going to found this society, and we are going to have a good time.”

Kathleen’s somewhat incoherent speech was received with shouts of applause.

“We must make a few rules,” she continued when her young companions had ceased to shout—­“just a few big rules which will be quite easy for all of us to obey.”

“Certainly,” said Kate.  “And I have brought a note-book with me, and if you will dictate them, Kathleen, I will jot them down.”

“That is easy enough,” said Kathleen.  “Well, I am queen.”

“Certainly you are!” “Who else could be?” “Of course you are queen!” “Darling!” “Dear!” “Sweet!” “Duck!” fell from various pairs of lips.

“Thank you,” said Kathleen, looking round at them, her dark-blue eyes becoming dewy with a sudden emotion.  “I think,” she added, “I love you all already, and there is nothing on earth I wouldn’t do for you.”

“Hear her, the dear!  She is bringing a fine change into our lives, cried a mass of girls who stood a little out of the line of light.