he trouble to be cross
with anyone. And she's very pretty."

"That settles it," laughed Elinor. "No matter what must be set aside for
it, I see that we must take tea with Rosamond Merton. We must look her
over, Judy, and see if we can let our Miss Pat fall in love with her, as
I perceive she is on the brink of doing."

Judith's anxious look made Patricia laugh. "Don't be afraid I'll make a
silly of myself like I did over Miss Warner and Doris Leighton," she
said lightly. "I'm done with that sort of thing ages and ages ago."

Elinor was deeply interested in this new adventure, and after a late
luncheon and a hasty half hour of breathing practice for Patricia, they
got into their afternoon clothes and went to Artemis Lodge again.

"How familiar it looks today," said Patricia as they rang the shining
brass bell. "Isn't it queer how soon you get used to places? I feel
quite like an old inmate already."

"That's always the way with me, too," agreed Judith. "I felt as though
I'd always lived on that corner near the Dam, just because we spent an
half hour there on each of those two mornings we were in Amsterdam."

The opening of the door put an end to their chat and they followed the
respectable woman through the courtyard again, feeling quite at home
with its quaint quadrangle.

They did not wind their way through any intricate passages, however, for
Rosamond Merton's rooms were near the main entrance at the head of a
little flight of winding stairs, very easy of access from the courtyard
and quite remote from the various offices and salons.

She opened the door immediately on their knock, and there was such a
pretty warmth of welcome in her tranquil manner that Elinor was won at
once, though Judith, who prided herself on her discrimination, did not
completely thaw out until the visit was nearly over.

The rooms, three in number, were furnished with a simple elegance that
appealed strongly to them all, and the undemonstrative manner with which
Rosamond Merton pursued her purpose gave her persistence a charm that
robbed it of all crudity.

"You see, Mrs. Hayden," she said, after tea had been served and they
were chatting comfortably before a small fire in the pleasant sitting
room, "I am really quite selfish in wishing your sister to come with me
for a while--as long as she will, in fact. I am very much alone here,
being the only Tancredi pupil in the house, and I have more room than I
need. I can't possibly use mor