as too much brains to look like a scarecrow
for ignorant people to look down on, so she's making him fit, merely to
enlighten them as to his merit."

Patricia was silenced, though not yet convinced. She turned to the
subject of Margaret Howes with eager interest, asking all sorts of
questions as to her progress in painting and her appearance and her life
of the past year, to none of which Bruce would answer a word, even
though urged by Elinor.

"Wait and find out for yourselves," he said teasingly. "It would take
off the bloom if I recounted all."

Elinor rose to lead the way to the rooms where they would dress. "I
don't believe he knows a single thing," she said emphatically. "Margaret
isn't a chatterbox and it was too bitterly cold on the streets today for
any lengthy confidences. Come along and get into your festive togs--we
don't want to miss a single minute, and dinner is very early tonight."

As Patricia followed the others out she bent gratefully over Bruce's
chair. Her large gray eyes were shining in the rosy firelight and her
face was sweetly serious.

"You're awfully good to me, Bruce," she said in a low tone. "I don't
deserve it one scrap--but I'll try all the harder to be worth while some
day."

Bruce looked up with his nicest smile and laid his strong hand over hers
on his chair-arm.

"You're very much worth while now--to me, Patsy dear," he said with
genuine affection. "I'm not looking ahead to those future days. Who
knows whether the success, when it comes, will make you nearer to us, or
will take you far away----"

She broke in eagerly with her hand pressed on her quickly beating heart.
"Oh, Bruce," she said with a little tinge of fear in her tone. "I'm
sometimes so afraid of that--losing you all in the work and hurry that
is coming to me. But you'll help me, won't you? You'll keep me
remembering how much we've always despised conceited, stuck-up people? I
may be a failure after all, but if I'm not, if I'm the tiniest bit of a
success and you see me getting selfish and horrid, you'll try to remind
me, won't you?"

Bruce smiled reassuringly up at her flushed face. "Rely on me to
puncture your balloon if it's needed, Miss Pat," he said in a tone that
was very comforting, and, as she dropped a light kiss on his dark,
waving hair, he added more soberly, "It's a mighty hard thing for a
singer to be unselfish and generous, I warn you, my dear. It's going to
be a struggle sometimes, though I don't d