"Patty's mighty cute--for all she's such a terror at times," Pauline admitted. "She knows a lot about the people here--and it's just because she's interested in them." "Come on," Shirley said, jumping up. "We're going to have another honorary member." "I think it would be kind, girls," Mrs. Shaw said gravely. "Jane will feel herself immensely flattered, and I know of no one who upholds the honor of Winton more honestly or persistently." "And please, Mrs. Shaw," Shirley coaxed, "when we come back, mayn't Patience Shaw, H. M., come down and have tea with us?" "I hardly think--" "Please, Mother Shaw," Hilary broke in; "after all--she started this, you know. That sort of counterbalances the other, doesn't it?" "Well, we'll see," her mother laughed. Pauline ran to get one of the extra badges with which Shirley had provided her, and then the four girls went across to the church. Sextoness Jane was just locking the back door--not the least important part of the afternoon's duties with her--as they came through the opening in the hedge. "Good afternoon," she said cheerily, "was you wanting to go inside?" "No," Pauline answered, "we came over to invite you to join our club. We thought, maybe, you'd like to?" "My Land!" Jane stared from one to another of them. "And wear one of them blue-ribbon affairs?" "Yes, indeed," Shirley laughed. "See, here it is," and she pointed to the one in Pauline's hand. Sextoness Jane came down the steps. "Me, I ain't never wore a badge! Not once in all my life! Oncet, when I was a little youngster, 'most like Patience, teacher, she got up some sort of May doings. We was all to wear white dresses and red, white and blue ribbons--very night before, I come down with the mumps. Looks like I always come down when I ought to've stayed up!" "But you won't come down with anything this time," Pauline pinned the blue badge on the waist of Jane's black and white calico. "Now you're an honorary member of 'The S. W. F. Club.'" Jane passed a hand over it softly. "My Land!" was all she could say. She was still stroking it softly as she walked slowly away towards home. My, wouldn't Tobias be interested! CHAPTER IX AT THE MANOR "'All the names I know from nurse: Gardener's garters, Shepherd's purse, Bachelor's buttons, Lady's smock, And the Lady Hollyhock,'" Patience chanted, moving slowly about the parsonage garden, hands full of flowers, and the big basket, lying on the grass beyond, almost full. Behind her, now running at full speed, now stopping suddenly, back lifted, tail erect, came Lucky, the black kitten from The Maples. Lucky had been an inmate of the parsonage for some weeks now and was thriving famously in her adopted home. Towser tolerated her with the indifference due such a small, insignificant creature, and she alternately bullied and patronized Towser.