into the dining-room, the thin bread and
butter had doubled itself up into most attractive and satisfying
chicken-sandwiches, and there was also a plate of delicious toasted
crackers and cheese.

Mr. Fairfield added a box of candy which he had brought home from New
York, and the unpretentious little feast proved most enjoyable to all
concerned.

"I should think you would feel all the time as if you were acting a play
yourself, Patty," said Elsie Morris, taking her seat at the prettily
laid table.

"I do," said Patty as she took her own place at the head; "it's awfully
hard to realise that I am monarch of all I survey."

"But you have someone to dispute your right," said her father.

"And I'm glad of it," said Patty. "Whatever should I do living here all
alone just with my rights?"

"By her rights, she means her cousins," put in Frank.

"Yes," said Patty; "they're about as right as anything I know."

And so the evening passed in merry chaff and good-natured fun; and at its
close the young guests all went away except Marian, who was going to
spend the night at Boxley Hall.

After her cousin had gone upstairs to her pretty blue bedroom, Patty
lingered a moment in the library for a word with her father.

"How am I getting along, papa?" she said. "How about the proportion
to-night?"

"The market seems pretty strong on proportion to-day, Patty, dear; your
housekeeping is beginning wonderfully well. That little dinner you gave
us was first-class in every respect, and the simple refreshments you had
this evening were very pretty and graceful."

"Don't praise me too much, papa, or I'll grow conceited."

"You'll get praise from me, my lady, just when you deserve it, and at no
other time. Now, skip along to bed, or you'll have too great a proportion
of late hours."

With a good-night kiss Patty went singing upstairs, feeling sure that she
was the happiest and most fortunate little girl in the world.

So impressed was she with her realisation of this fact that she announced
it to Marian.

Marian looked at her curiously.

"You _are_ fortunate in some ways," she said; "but the real reason
you're always so happy, I think, is because of your happy disposition. A
great many girls with no mother or brother or sister, who had all the
care and responsibility of a big house, and whose father was away all
day, would think they had a pretty miserable life. But that never seems
to occur to you."

"No," said Patty conten