common sense. I know that I can trust you not to talk."

"I don't exactly see what we can do," said Patty, dubiously.

"You are usually not without resourcefulness," Miss Sallie returned with
a flickering smile. "You may have a _carte blanche_ to choose your own
methods."

"And may we tell Priscilla?" Conny asked. "We must tell her because we
three--"

"Hunt together?" Miss Sallie nodded. "Tell Priscilla, and let it stop at
that."

The next afternoon, when Martin drove into the village to accomplish
the daily errands, he dropped Patty and Priscilla at the florists,
empowered by the school to purchase flowers for the rector's wife and
new baby. They turned inside, their minds entirely occupied with the
rival merits of red and white roses. They ordered their flowers,
inscribed the card, and then waited aimlessly till Martin should return
to pick them up. Passing down the counter, they came upon a
bill-sticker, the topmost item being, "Violets every Saturday to Miss
Mae Van Arsdale, St. Ursula's School."

They stopped and stared for a thoughtful moment. The florist followed
their gaze.

"Do you happen to know the young lady who ordered them vi'lets?" he
inquired. "She didn't leave any name, and I'd like to know if she wants
me to keep on sending 'em. She only paid up to the first, and the price
is going up."

"No, I don't know who it was," said Patty, with well-assumed
indifference. "What did she look like?"

"She--she had on a blue coat," he suggested. As all sixty-four of the
St. Ursula girls wore blue coats, his description was not helpful.

"Oh," Patty prompted, "was she quite tall with a lot of yellow hair
and--"

"That's her!"

He recognized the type with some assurance.

"It's Mae herself!" Priscilla whispered excitedly.

Patty nodded and commanded silence.

"We'll tell her," she promised. "And by the way," she added to
Priscilla, "I think it would be nice for us to send some flowers to Mae,
from our--er--secret society. But I'm afraid the treasury is pretty low
just now. They'll have to be cheaper than violets. What are your
cheapest flowers?" she inquired of the man.

"There's a kind of small sunflower that some people likes for
decoration. 'Cut-and-come-again' they're called. I can give you a
good-sized bunch for fifty cents. They make quite a show."

"Just the thing! Send a bunch of sunflowers to Miss Van Arsdale with
this card." Patty drew a blank card toward her, and in an upright back