a centre of attraction--all eyes
were fastened upon her; for Kathleen in her well-made dress,
notwithstanding the gayety of its color, looked simply radiant. The
mischief in her dark eyes, too, but added to her charm. She glanced with
almost maliciousness at Alice, who, in the dowdiest of pale-gray
dresses, with her hair rather untidy and her face destitute of color,
was standing near one of the windows. And as Alice glanced at Kathleen
she felt that she almost hated the Irish girl.

CHAPTER IX.

CONSCIENCE AND DIFFICULTIES.

All the people who knew her were beginning to make a fuss over Ruth
Craven. She who had hardly ever been noticed during the early part of
her life, who was just her grandfather's darling and her grandmother's
idol, was now petted and made much of and fussed over by every one. It
was quite an extraordinary thing for the paying girls of the Great
Shirley School to be so interested and excited about a foundationer.
Cassandra Weldon was not the only girl who had taken Ruth up; some of
the best and nicest girls of the school began to patronize her. The fact
was that she was very modest and a perfect lady, and it was impossible
to feel anything but good-will towards her. The rest of the foundation
girls at first determined that they would leave her with her fine
friends, but when Kathleen insisted on Ruth's joining the secret society
of the Wild Irish Girls, they were obliged to submit.

"We'd do anything in the world for our queen," said Susy Hopkins,
talking to another foundation girl one day as they strolled along the
road. "It is to-night we are to meet again, and she says she will bring
the rules all drawn up, and she will read them to us. There are about
thirty of us now, and more and more offer to join every day. The
difficulty is that we have got to keep the thing from the knowledge of
the teachers and the paying girls of the school. Kathleen is certain
that it would be suppressed if it were known; and it must not be known,
for it is the biggest lark and the greatest fun we ever had in all our
lives."

"Yes," said Rosy Myers; "I feel now quite honored at being a foundation
girl."

"She does promise us wonderful things," said Kate Rourke. "She says when
the summer comes we shall have all sorts of nice excursions. Of course,
we can't do anything special in the daytime, unless sometimes on
Saturday, when we have a whole holiday; but at least; she says, the
nights are our own and we c