"You're taking me up to Seven Gates," Jenny replied. "I don't want to go there, and why can't I have this thing off my eyes?"

"No," said David, "you can't till we tell you. You're going to be asked to do something, and if you refuse you'll be taken back again blindfolded."

"Oh, well," Jenny remarked reasonably enough, "I can only die once, I s'pose, but don't take me too far, 'cos I've got a bad stitch and I've got to be home soon. I've run away again just to be in this adventure, so do buck up and get it over."

But they didn't take the bandage off till Jenny was seated in the hammock in the barn, and then she looked round with astonishment.

"These are your friends, aren't they, Peter?" she said after a long stare at the twins.

Then they told her all about the Lone Pine Club and asked if she would like to join.

"You'd really let me be a real member? But that's wonderful, and I'd love it, and thank you very much, and I'll do anything you say. Except go up the Dingle at night," she added.

So David told her the rules and she signed on a page of his note-book. Dickie insisted that she sign in her own blood as the original members had done, and Mary went to the house to borrow a needle. Then they told her about the Peewit whistle and how it was their secret call and promised to let her know about the next meeting at the week-end to meet Tom.

And when she had to go they went down with her to the first gate. She ran off and turned at the corner to call a plaintive "Peewit... Peeewit."

"I like her, Peter," David said as they walked home up the hill. "She's a sport. I wonder how she'll get on with Tom?"

Mrs. Sterling was waiting in the yard for them, but only to see if they were all right. Mary asked after Uncle Micah, and was told that he'd got one of his bad heads and had gone upstairs and that was all she would say.

So they said good night to her and thanked her for all she had done, and Peter ran after her because she looked so lonely and gave her a special hug and asked her to come and have some cocoa with them round the stove. She thanked them, but said, "Another night, perhaps," and then told them not to get up too early.

It was while they were having their cocoa that Mary fell asleep in the hammock. David looked up suddenly to see her slumping sideways and grabbed the mug as the grip of her ringers relaxed. They were all tired after an exciting day so they agreed to go early to bed.