card."

"Splendid," said Catherine approvingly; "I wish the rest of you would
take Judith's room as a model. You may thank your lucky star, Sally
May," she continued as Sally May joined them, "that Miss Watson hadn't
time to inspect your room. It's in a shocking state. Run along now and
have things ship-shape by dinner-time."

"Isn't she simply lovely?" breathed Sally May when Catherine had gone;
"I'd do _anything_ in this world for her. But I don't see how I could
_ever_ be tidy. I never looked after my things before and there's _so_
little space in these tiny rooms."

"They certainly are tiny," agreed Judith. "I couldn't think of anything
but a cabin on board ship when I saw mine."

"Well, if Cathy wants us to be tidy, we've just got to be," said Nancy
with finality, and Josephine and Jane were summoned to help eat the
last of Judith's chocolates, and lend their brains to a scheme "for
furthering extreme and painful neatness," as Sally May put it.

"We might have a box for fines," suggested Josephine hopefully.

"I have it!" cried Nancy. "Judith's idea of the cabin was an
inspiration. Let's pretend we _are_ a ship. Cathy'll be the captain and
we'll be the crew and we'll have to be disciplined if we're not
orderly."

Nancy's plan was received with enthusiasm, chiefly because, since
sororities were not permitted in the school, it gave them a chance to
band themselves together. They had great fun discussing a name before
they finally settled on Josephine's suggestion of the "Jolly Susan."
"'Jolly,' because we _are_ jolly, and 'Susan,' because, well--don't you
think of 'Susan' as tidy, and a ship?"

So the cubicles were formally christened the "Jolly Susan" by Jane, who
donated a bottle of ginger-ale for the purpose, and Judith's empty
candy-box was hung up beside Catherine's door to hold the fines which
were to be used "for the sustenance of disabled (or dejected) seamen."

Sally May entreated Judith to show her how she managed to stow away all
her belongings so neatly, and when the half-past two bell rang for
outdoor recreation, the "Jolly Susan" was ready for Captain Catherine's
inspection.

A basket-ball practice for South House had been posted on the bulletin
board, but Judith felt lazy and wanted to finish "The Scarlet
Pimpernel," so, taking her book, she went across the quadrangle to a
sheltered spot under the big beech tree where she meant to spend a
blissful hour reading and lying at her ease on the s