you a
Teddy Bear to carry. There's no keeping you down any other way."

"Oh, don't be alarmed. I've no designs on the young men. I like the boys
better, anyhow. That Jack Merivale is a chummy kind of a youth. That's
the sort I like. Rest assured I won't trouble that wretched Earl. I won't
even speak to him, and I'll make over to you whatever interest he may
deign to show in me."

"As one Humpty Dumpty said, 'I'd rather see that on paper.'"

"So you shall," said Patty, and setting down her unfinished tea, she flew
to the writing table.

Perching herself on the corner of the desk chair, she laid out a sheet of
Lady Herenden's crested note paper, and took up a pen. "Shall I write the
agreement as I please?" she said, "or will you dictate it?"

"I'll dictate," said Lady Kitty, smiling lazily at the foolery. But as
she paused between sentences, Patty put in parentheses of her own, and
when finished the remarkable document read thus:

"I, the undersigned, being of (fairly) sound mind, do hereby of my
own free will (coerced by one Lady Hamilton) relinquish all interest
or concern in the (illustrious) personage known as Sylvester, Earl
of Ruthven (but I do think he has a lovely name), and should he show
any interest in me, personally, I promise (gladly) to refer him to
(the aforesaid) Lady Hamilton (though what she wants of him, I don't
know!), and I hereby solemnly promise and agree, not to seek or
accept any further acquaintance or friendship with the (Belted)
gentleman above referred to.

"Furthermore, I (being still of sound mind, but it's tottering)
promise not to talk or converse with the (Sylvester! _Sylvester!_)
Earl of Ruthven, beyond the ordinary civilities of the day (whatever
that may mean!), never to smile at him voluntarily (I can't help
laughing at him), and _never_ to wave my eyelashes at him across the
table. (_Why_ does she think I'd do that?)

"Witness my hand and seal,

"PATRICIA FAIRFIELD."

("Lady Patricia would sound great! Wouldn't it?")

"There, Kitty Cat," said Patty, tossing the paper to Lady Hamilton,
"there's your agreement, and now, my dreams of glory over, I'll go and
'bind my hair and lace my bodice blue.' I always wondered how people bind
their hair. Do you suppose they use skirt braid?"

But Lady Kitty was shaking with laughter over Patty's foolish "document"
and offered no reply.

An hour or s