Judith's dismayed exclamation cut short her account of the activities
at Greycroft.

"Now you've done it!" cried Judith in distress. "She knows all about
it, and I meant it for a surprise! Oh dear!"

"I'm awfully sorry--" began Madalon, contritely, but Judith was too
deeply disappointed to be very polite.

"Hannah Ann and I have been writing about it for ever so long," she
lamented, "and we were having it put just where you wanted it, Elinor,
and Henry got the trees from the wood lot, and we were going to have it
for a surprise--" She broke off, choking.

Elinor slipped an arm about her. "But what is it, Ju dear?"

"A pup-pup-pergola," spluttered Judith, recovering a bit. "Just the
sort you wanted. And we planned for Miss Pat to make one of those
lovely stone seats out of concrete. But it isn't any use, now," she
ended forlornly.

"Don't be a muff," said Patricia briskly. "It's twice as good, don't
you see, coming out this way? Here are eight people surprised all in a
bunch, instead of merely Elinor and poor me. You've sprung it in the
very nick of time, Infant."

"Sure thing," supplemented Griffin genially. "I'm in it now, and if
you'd put it off, I'd been in Kalamazoo or Madagascar, and missed it
all."

Judith with this encouragement began to take heart, and by the time Mr.
Spicer and Margaret Howes had joined their congratulations to the
others, she was fully recovered and enjoying herself immensely, arguing
with Margaret Howes and Bruce as to the shape of the projected seat
with a freedom that was usually denied her.

The subject of Mary Miller was brought up and discussed with great
interest. Everyone advocated Miss Jinny's visit to the Academy, and
Judith added the hope that the descendant of the old housekeeper at
Greycroft might be able to throw some light on the disappearance of the
old miser's silver and bank books, a remark that caused some
consternation among the elder members of the party.

"Don't you go making suggestions of that sort," warned Bruce, with
impressive authority. "The girl will feel as though her
great-grandmother were a thief."

"Oh, I wouldn't put it that way," cried Judith, scandalized. "I'd just
sort of hint around gently. Maybe they dug it up long ago."

"Ju's got the idea from her last thriller that the Dutchman who used to
live at Greycroft buried his treasure somewhere about the place,"
explained Patricia to Griffin. "I suppose she'll spend her time