hat I have been wanting to meet her; I have searched
this room in vain for some mutual friend who might introduce us, but
until I saw Mrs. Leigh over here, I could find no one. Then, to attract
Mrs. Leigh's attention, in hope of her helping me, I sent over a signal
of distress."

"I took it as a flag of truce," said Patty, holding up the white rose as
it trembled on its stem.

"I thought it was a cipher message," said Nan, smiling. "Patty is so fond
of puzzles and secret languages, I wasn't sure but it might mean 'All is
discovered; fly at once!'"

"It means 'all is well'," said Lady Hamilton, in her gracious way; "and
now I must fly at once with my spoil."

She took possession of Patty, and with a few words of adieu to the
others, led her from the room. The lady in black rose from the table and
followed them, and Patty entered the lift, blissfully happy, but a little
bewildered.

"We'll have our coffee right here," said Lady Hamilton, as having reached
her drawing-room, she proceeded to adjust some dainty gilt cups that
stood on a small table. "That is, if you are allowed to have coffee at
night. From your roseleaf cheeks, I fancy you drink only honeydew or
buttercup tea."

"No, indeed; I'm far too substantial for those things," said Patty, as
she dropped into the cosy chair Lady Hamilton had indicated; "and for
over a year now, I've been allowed to have after-dinner coffee."

"Dear me! what a grown-up! Miss Fairfield, this is Mrs. Betham, my very
good friend, who looks after me when I get frisky and try to scrape
acquaintance across a public dining-room."

If Lady Hamilton was lovely when she was silent, she was doubly
bewitching when she talked in this gay strain. Little dimples came and
went in her cheeks, so quickly that they had scarcely disappeared before
they were back again.

Mrs. Betham bowed and spoke politely to Patty, but her voice was quick
and sharp, and her manner, though courteous, was not attractive.

"I doubt the coffee's hot," she said, as a waiter, who had just brought
it in, was filling the tiny cups.

"It's steaming," said Lady Hamilton, gaily, and Patty saw at once that
whatever it was that made her new friend sorrowful, it was not the
grumbling tones of Mrs. Betham.

"It's quite too hot, Julia," she went on; "unless you're careful, you'll
steam your throat."

"Not I," growled Mrs. Betham. "I'm not such a stupid as that. But I must
say I like my coffee at a table like a Christian