tty was looking over from Mary Beck's and saw that the east
window and the pear-tree branch were in plain sight; so the two girls
invented a system of signals: one white handkerchief meant _come over_,
and two meant _no_, but a single one in answer was for _yes_. A yellow
handkerchief on the bough proposed a walk; and so the code went on, and
was found capable of imparting much secret information. Sometimes the
exchange of these signals took a far longer time than it did to run
across from house to house, and at any rate in the first fortnight Mary
and Betty spent the greater part of their waking hours together. Still
the signal service, as they proudly called it, was of great use.

One morning, when Mary had been summoned, Betty came rushing to meet
her.

"Aunt Barbara is going to let me have a tea-party. What do you think of
that?" she cried.

Mary Beck looked pleased, and then a doubting look crept over her face.

"I don't know any of the boys and girls very well except you," Betty
explained, "and Aunt Barbara likes the idea of having them come. Aunt
Mary thinks that she can't come down, for the excitement would be too
much for her, but I am going to tease her again as soon as I have time.
It is to be a summer-house tea at six o'clock; it is lovely in the
garden then. Just as soon as I have helped Serena a little longer, you
and I will go to invite everybody. Serena is letting me beat eggs."

It was a great astonishment that Betty should take the serious occasion
so lightly. Mary Beck would have planned it at least a week beforehand,
and have worried and worked and been in despair; but here was Betty as
gay as possible, and as for Aunt Barbara and Serena and Letty, they were
gay too. It was entirely mysterious.

"I have sent word by Jonathan to the Picknell girls; he had an errand on
that road. They looked so old and scared in church last Sunday that I
kept thinking that they ought to have a good time. They don't come in to
the village much, do they?" inquired Betty with great interest.

"Hardly ever, except Sundays," answered Mary Beck. "They turn red if you
only look at them, but they are always talking together when they go by.
One of them can draw beautifully. Oh, of course I go to school with
them, but I don't know them very well."

"I hope they'll come, don't you?" said Betty, whisking away at the eggs.
"I don't know when I've ever been where I could have a little party. I
can have two or three girls to