knows everything. She belonged
to us for a time, and now she doesn't belong to us."

"Well?" said Kathleen, feeling interested and a little startled.

"She wouldn't tell."

"Of course she wouldn't. She is a brick. The Ruth Cravens of the world
are not traitors," said Kathleen. "And so that is what the governors are
doing--horrid, sneaky, disagreeable things! But they are not going to
subdue me, so they needn't think it. I tell you what it is, Susy. Why
should we put off till next week our picnic to town? Can't we have it
this week?"

"I wish we could," said Susy. "It would be glorious," she continued. "I
do think somehow, Kathleen, that they will catch us in the long run. It
might be dangerous to put off our glorious time till next week."

"It might? It certainly would," said Kathleen. "We will go to-morrow
evening. School is always over at four. We can meet at the railway
station between five and six, and go off all by ourselves to--But where
shall we go when we get to town?"

"Couldn't we go to a theatre--to the pit at one of the theatres?"

"If only Aunt Katie O'Flynn was with us it would be as right as right,"
said Kathleen; "but dare we go alone?"

"I am sure we dare. I shouldn't be frightened. I think some of the girls
know exactly how to manage."

"Well, I tell you what. You know most of the names of the members. Go
round to-day and see as many as you can. Tell them that I am game for a
real bit of fun, and that I will stand treat. We will go to town by the
quarter-to-six train to-morrow evening. We will have some refreshments
at a restaurant, and then we will go to the pit of one of the theatres.
It will be a lark. There will be about forty of us altogether."

"We are sure to be found out. It is too risky; and yet I think we'll do
it," said Susy. "Oh, there never was such a lark!"

"Nothing could happen to forty of us," said Kathleen. "I am going to do
it just to defy them. How dare they try to make dear little Ruth betray
us? But she won't. I am certain she won't."

Susy talked a little longer to Kathleen, and finally agreed to take her
message to as many of the Wild Irish Girls as she could possibly reach.

"They will all hear of it safe enough," said Susy. "The whole forty of
us will meet you at the station to-morrow night. Oh dear! of course it
is wrong."

"It is magnificently wrong; that is the glorious part of it," said
Kathleen. "Oh dear! I feel almost as jolly as though I were in old
Ire