t the salad-bowl carefully down on
the table and left the room, her head high and her mane tossing.

Patricia, instead of being amused this time, looked annoyed. "Judy's
getting spoiled, Elinor," she said, turning away to ramble idly about
the room. "She's as conceited a young imp as I know. These stories of
hers have about turned her head. I wish you'd tell her for me that she
must behave properly to Rosamond, or she'll have to stay away from the
Lodge. I won't have her putting on her superior airs and looking
mysterious over nothing with me."

Elinor sighed over this change in the sunny Patricia, but only said with
a regretful glance at the discontented droop of her sister's golden
head:

"Judith's fancies are sometimes short-lived, my dear. I shouldn't notice
this one if I were you." And then to make a diversion she asked how the
lessons were coming on.

Patricia brightened at once. "I believe I'm doing pretty well," she said
hopefully. "Madame hardly says a word to me now, but she nods her head
a good deal. And she's letting me take some new exercises already."

"That looks promising," began Elinor, pleased to have turned the current
toward happier channels. "That is the best news----"

Here the door opened and Bruce, who had been out, came in. "Hullo, all
alone?" he said, with some surprise. "I thought Constance Fellows was
coming tonight. What's up? She's not ill, is she? There's a lot of
grippe going about just now, I hear."

Elinor explained that so far as they knew Constance was not affected by
the impending epidemic. "Miss Pat forgot to ask her in time," she said.
"And so she made an engagement with one of the girls, that is all,
Bruce. Are you going to make the salad in here? Judith has it all ready
for you."

"Just as soon as I shed my skin," returned Bruce gayly, throwing his
great-coat on the divan, with his hat and gloves. "I tell you, it's fine
weather--this. The stars are snapping and the moon-crescent is like
silver. It makes one glad to be alive."

Patricia, with her disquiet mood still hovering about her, came over to
the table to watch him begin operations. She always liked to see Bruce
mix the dressing and make the salad, and tonight his strong cheerfulness
seemed particularly good to her.

"I'm sorry I forgot about Constance, Bruce," she said, as he uncorked
the oil bottle. "I had two concerts with Rosamond and the music was so
perfectly heavenly that I didn't get back to earth until i