her task, a little less certain of
success than she had been, but no less persevering.

The work was agreeable to her. She loved to embroider, and the dainty
design and exquisite colouring appealed to her aesthetic sense.

Had it been only one centrepiece, and had she not felt hurried, it would
have been a happy outlook.

But as she carefully matched the shades of silk to the sample piece, she
found that it took a great deal of time to get the tints exactly right.

"But that's only for the first one," she thought hopefully; "for all the
others, I shall know just which silks to use. I'll lay them in order, so
there'll be no doubt about it."

Her habits of method and system stood her in good stead now, and her
skeins, carefully marked, were laid in order on her little work-table.

But though her fingers fairly flew, the pattern progressed slowly. She
even allowed herself to leave long stitches on the wrong side,--a thing
she never did in her own embroidery. She tried to do all the petals of
one tint at once, to avoid delay of changing the silks. She used every
effort to make "her head save her hands," but the result was that both
head and hands became heated and nervous.

"This won't do," she said to herself, as the silk frazzled between her
trembling fingers. "If I get nervous, I'll never accomplish anything!"

She forced herself to be calm, and to move more slowly, but the mental
strain of hurry, and the physical strain of eyes and muscles, made her
jerky, and the stitches began to be less true and correct.

"I'll be sensible," she thought; "I'll take ten minutes off and relax."

She went downstairs, singing, and trying to assume a careless demeanour.

Going into Nan's sitting-room, she said:

"Work's going on finely. I came down for a glass of water, and to rest a
minute. Any one been here?"

"No," said Nan, pleasantly, pretending not to notice Patty's flushed
cheeks and tired eyes. Really, she had several times stolen on tiptoe to
Patty's door, and anxiously looked at her bending over her work. But
Patty didn't know this, and wise Nan concluded the time to speak was not
yet.

"No, no one came in to disturb you, which is fortunate. You're sensible,
dear, to rest a bit. Jane will bring you some water. Polly want a
cracker?"

"No, thank you; I'm not hungry. Nan, that's awfully fine work."

"Yes, I know it, Patsy. But remember, you don't _have_ to do it. Give the
thing a fair trial, and if it doesn't go