ul doings she had heard so much
of from Edna. The two had seen each other often, and now that the spring
was nearing, rarely a Saturday came but that they met. It was Edna who
took her the joyful news on Friday evening.

"I've something perfectly lovely to tell you," she announced as soon as
she was inside the door of the little house.

"What?" asked Nettie with a quick smile of interest.

"You're going to be a member of our club."

"Oh, Edna, how can I be? I don't go to your school."

"I know, and that is why we had to make you an honorary member," Agnes
said.

"Oh, I think you are all the dearest things I ever knew," cried Nettie.
Then her face fell, "But, oh, Edna, how can we get all of you girls in
this little bit of a house?"

"Oh, you can meet in the general club-room at the Evanses," Edna told
her. "Agnes says so and it is in their attic, you know. When a girl
can't very well have the meeting at her house we have it there. Once it
was to be at Betty Lowndes's house and her little sister had the
chicken-pox so we couldn't meet there and we had it in the attic."

Nettie's face cleared, but presently a new difficulty presented itself,
one which she hesitated to speak of but which was a very serious one.
How should she tell Edna what was in her mind? But she remembered that
Edna had seen the poverty of the family stores and that there was no
need to make any pretence to her. "There's another thing," she began, "I
haven't any money, and I couldn't ask mother for refreshments."

"I thought of that," answered Edna; "we might give them rice," and then
they both laughed. "If there were only some way you could earn some
money and I could help you," continued Edna with more seriousness.
"Perhaps we could think of some way. If it were something we could both
do, I could help you."

"You are always so good that way," replied Nettie gratefully.

"Well, anyhow," said Edna, "it won't be for some time yet that you have
to have the meeting and perhaps we can think of something. If we can't
would you mind if I ask mother what we could do?"

"I'd rather not," replied Nettie doubtfully, "not unless you have to."

"Then I won't unless I have to."

"Perhaps my mother can think of a way, only I don't want to say anything
to her, for she will feel badly because she can't let me have the money,
and I know I ought not to ask her for it. I won't ask, of course, but if
I tell it will be the same as asking, and it will make he