stand in the middle of the room, and rapped loudly
for attention. Miss Jinny had vainly tried to grab his sleeve as he
slipped past her and now stood with an expression of grim martyrdom
glaring at Mr. Spicer, who was smiling at her openly and, Patricia
thought, heartlessly.

"I have a postscript to add," smiled Bruce. "Sometimes, as you know,
the postscript is of great importance."

He paused a moment till the silence was perfect and then he said, with
a pretense of reading a notice from a sheet of paper:

"Mrs. Virginia P. Shelly announces the engagement of her daughter
Virginia E. to Mr. Nathaniel Spicer, late of the Geological Survey----"

He got no further. Miss Jinny, who had won first place in the interest
of the art community as Sinbad and kept it by her own wholesome
goodness, was surrounded and overwhelmed. Patricia was the first to
seize her unwilling hand.

"Now I _shall_ see how an engaged couple behaves!" she cried
triumphantly. "You shan't escape me, mind you, for I'm your very
nearest friend, and I'll be your bridesmaid if you'll let me."

Miss Jinny came to herself with a chuckle. "My gracious, Patricia
Kendall, what are you thinking of!" she exclaimed in growing amazement.
"Are you mad enough to imagine I'm going to behave like a lunatic, just
because I'm taking a new name to myself? Do behave or I'll never speak
to you again!"

"That's the way to squelch her," laughed Griffin, who was pumping the
beaming Mr. Spicer's hand like mad. "She'd be a regular nuisance if
you encouraged her. I'll warn Bottle Green----"

"What, you don't mean to say--" interrupted Margaret Howes. "I heard
that Jeffries took her to the vaudeville show and I thought that was a
tremendous change of heart for nice old Greenie."

"Yep, she's engaged to Jeffries," announced Griffin with great
enjoyment. "Has Elinor heard? Let's go break the news."

Patricia preceded them to the corner where Elinor, rather pale and
agitated, was holding back as Bruce tried to lead her to the model
stand. Patricia thought that Bruce's insistence had something to do
with the decoration, which was half forgotten by most of the company,
and she laid a detaining hand on Elinor's other arm.

"What do you want to make a show of her for, Bruce?" she remonstrated
feelingly. "You can say all you have to say right here, can't you?"

Then her breath caught in her throat and her heart gave a sudden
_flop_, for, as Elinor raised her left