e necessary," he said. "A month to month verbal
agreement will do for me."

"I can't consider it without a lease," said Patty, firmly. "You might
sell or something, and then we'd have to move out."

The gentleman amusedly filled in the form, and signed as party of the
first part. He passed the pen to Patty and indicated the space reserved
for the signature of the party of the second part.

"I must first consult my partners," she explained.

"Oh, I see! Have them sign here, and then bring the lease back."

"All of them?" she asked, dubiously scanning the somewhat cramped
quarters. "I'm afraid there won't be room."

"How many partners have you?"

"Sixty-three."

He stared momentarily, then as his eye fell on the embroidered "St. U."
on Patty's coat sleeve, he threw back his head and laughed.

"I beg your pardon!" he apologized, "but I was a bit staggered for a
moment. I am not used to doing business on such a large scale. In order
to be legal," he gravely explained, "the paper will have to be signed by
all the parties to the contract. If there is not enough room, you might
paste on an er--"

"Annex?" suggested Patty.

"Exactly," he agreed and with grave politeness bowed her out.

As the bell rang that indicated the end of study that evening, Patty and
Conny and Priscilla jumped to their feet, and called a mass meeting of
the school. The door was closed after the retreating Miss Jellings, and
for half an hour the three made speeches separately and in unison. They
were persuasive talkers and they carried the day. The allowance was
voted with scarcely a dissenting voice, and the school filed past and
signed the lease.

For two weeks St. Ursula's was a busy place--and also Laurel Cottage.
Bounds were practically enlarged to include it. The girls worked in
gangs during every recreation hour. The cellar was whitewashed by a
committee of four, who went in blue, and came out speckled like a
plover's egg. Tammas Junior had volunteered for this job, but it was one
the girls could not relinquish. They did allow him to kalsomine the
ceilings and hang the wall paper; but they painted the floors and lower
reaches of woodwork themselves. The evening's hour of recreation no
longer found them dancing, but sitting in a solid phalanx on the stairs
hemming sheets and tablecloths. The house was to be furnished with a
completeness that poor Mrs. Flannigan, in all her married life, had
never known before.

When everything was