ack door, added their touch to the sense of
pleasant, homely life that seemed to envelop the old house nowadays.

Shirley came to the gate, as Pauline drew up, Phil, Pat and Pudgey in
close attention. "I have to keep an eye on them," she told Pauline.
"They've just had their baths, and they're simply wild to get out in
the middle of the road and roll. I've told them no self-respecting dog
would wish to come to a lawn-party in anything but the freshest of
white coats, but I'm afraid they're not very self-respecting."

"Patience is sure Towser's heart is heavy because he is not to come;
she has promised him a lawn-party on his own account, and that no
grown-ups shall be invited. She's sent you the promised flowers, and
hinted--more or less plainly--that she would have been quite willing to
deliver them in person."

"Why didn't you bring her? Oh, but I'm afraid you've robbed yourself!"

"Oh, no, we haven't. Mother says, flowers grow with picking."

"Come on around front," Shirley suggested. "The boys have been putting
the awning up."

"The boys" were three of Mr. Dayre's fellow artists, who had come up a
day or two before, on a visit to the manor. One of them, at any rate,
deserved Shirley's title. He came forward now. "Looks pretty nice,
doesn't it?" he said, with a wave of the hand towards the red and white
striped awning, placed at the further edge of the lawn.

Shirley smiled her approval, and introduced him to Pauline, adding that
Miss Shaw was the real founder of their club.

"It's a might jolly sort of club, too," young Oram said.

"That is exactly what it has turned out to be," Pauline laughed. "Are
the vases ready, Shirley?"

Shirley brought the tray of empty flower vases out on the veranda, and
sent Harry Oram for a bucket of fresh water. "Harry is to make the
salad," she explained to Pauline, as he came back. "Before he leaves
the manor he will have developed into a fairly useful member of
society."

"You've never eaten one of my salads, Miss Shaw," Harry said. "When
you have, you'll think all your previous life an empty dream."

"It's much more likely her later life will prove a nightmare,--for a
while, at least," Shirley declared. "Still, Paul, Harry does make them
rather well. Betsy Todd, I am sorry to say, doesn't approve of him.
But there are so many persons and things she doesn't approve of;
lawn-parties among the latter."

Pauline nodded sympathetically; she knew Betsy Todd o