t
stopped about till I saw you. We're all starting off to play cricket
again on the common down under the cliffs, and I want you to go with us.
I've taken _such_ a fancy to you! I told mother I had, and she laughed
and said it wouldn't last long; but I _know_ it will. I feel as if you
were going to be my bosom friend. You'll come, won't you?"

"Of course I will," replied Isobel, accepting the offered friendship
with rapture. "Mother told me to do what I liked this morning."

"Let us be quick, then. The others have run on in front, but we'll soon
catch them up."

"Are you going to the same place where you were playing yesterday?"
asked Isobel.

"Yes; we call it our club ground. We mean to have matches there almost
every day. It'll be ever such fun. You see there are several families of
us staying at Silversands that all know one another, so we've joined
ourselves together in a club. We call it 'The United Sea Urchins'
Recreation Society,' and it's not to be only for cricket, because we
mean to play rounders and hockey as well, and to go out boating, and
have shrimping parties on the sands. We arranged it last night after
tea. There are just twenty of us, if you count the Wrights' baby, so
that makes quite enough to get up all sorts of games. Hugh Rokeby's the
president, and Charlie Chester's secretary, and Charlotte Wright's
treasurer. We each pay twopence a week subscription, and at the end of
the holiday we're going to have what the boys call a 'regular blow-out'
with the funds--ginger beer, you know, and cakes, and ices if we can
afford it. I wanted to make the subscription sixpence, but Letty Rokeby
said the little ones couldn't give so much. I'll ask them to elect you a
member. You'd like to join, wouldn't you?"

"Immensely. But I haven't any money with me now."

"Oh, never mind! You can give it to Charlotte afterwards. Here we are. I
expect they're all waiting. I see they've put the stumps up. You don't
know anybody except me, do you? I'll soon tell you their names."

The party of children who were assembled upon the green patch of common
certainly appeared to be a very jolly one. First there were the Rokebys,
a large and tempestuous family of seven, who were staying at a farm on
the cliffs by the wood.

"A thoroughly healthy place," as Mrs. Rokeby often remarked, "with a
good water supply, and no danger of catching anything infectious. We've
really been so unfortunate. Hugh and Letty took scarlet fever at