of the veranda at a point farthest
from the steps; and, seated there, swinging one foot rhythmically, she
sang hymns in a tone at once plaintive and inimical.

It was not lost upon her, however, that her withdrawal had little effect
upon her guests. They chattered gaily, and Patty devised, or remembered,
harmless little games that could be played by a few people as well as by
many; and the three participants were so congenial and noisy and made so
merry, that before long Florence was unable to avoid the impression
that whether she liked it or not she was giving quite a party.

At times the noted eyes of Atwater & Rooter were gentled o'er with the
soft cast of enchantment, especially when Patty felt called upon to
reprove the two with little coquetries of slaps and pushes. Noted for
her sprightliness, she was never sprightlier; her pretty laughter tooted
continuously, and the gentlemen accompanied it with doting sounds so
repulsive to Florence that without being actively conscious of what she
did, she embodied the phrase, "perfeckly sickening," in the hymn she was
crooning, and repeated it over and over to the air of "Rock of Ages."

"Now I tell you what let's play," the versatile Patty proposed, after
exhausting the pleasures of "Geography," "Ghosts" and other tests of
intellect. "Let's play 'Truth.' We'll each take a piece o' paper and a
pencil, and then each of us asks the other one some question, and we haf
to write down the answer and sign your name and fold it up so nobody can
see it except the one that asked the question, and we haf to keep it a
secret and never tell as long as we live."

"All right," said Henry Rooter. "I'll be the one to ask you a question,
Patty."

"No," Herbert said promptly. "I ought to be the one to ask Patty."

"Why ought you?" Henry demanded. "Why ought you?"

"Listen!" Patty cried, "_I_ know the way we'll do. I'll ask each of you
a question--we haf to whisper it--and each one of you'll ask me one, and
then we'll write it. That'll be simply grand!" She clapped her hands;
then checked herself. "Oh, I guess we can't either. We haven't got any
paper and pencils unless----" Here she seemed to recall her hostess.
"Oh, Florrie, dear! Run in the house and get us some paper and pencils."

Florence gave no sign other than to increase the volume of her voice as
she sang: "Perf'ly sick'ning, clef' for me, let me _perf'_ly
sick-kin-_ning_!"

"We got plenty," said Herbert; whereupon he and Hen