ristmas is getting," she interrupted, blithely, determined
to change the subject. "Have you all your gifts ready, Alla?"

"Patty," said Chick, reprovingly, "how can you introduce commonplace
subjects just now? I'm learning to remove rust stains from my dingy
old soul. By the way, how would it do to scour one's soul with the
sands of time?"

"Beautiful!" cried Sam. "Wonderful! What imagery! I wish I had
said that!"

"You may, as often as you like," granted Chick, politely. "I'll be
proud if you'll accept it. Among unrusted souls, there should be no
give and take. My thoughts are yours. I am honoured."

"You are a delight," said Alla, calmly, looking at Chick, who blushed
at this unexpected compliment. "I have never met any one so quickly
responsive, so immediately _simpatica_."

"Except me," cried Patty. "You said I was that. Simp--what--d'ye call
it? Now there are two of us, Chick."

"We are all _simpatica_," said Nan, who, like Patty, began to fear
Chick's chaff would yet offend the guests. And then, she determinedly
led the conversation away from soulful matters and talked of current
events and casual subjects that had no aesthetic significance.

But it was difficult to keep the Blaneys off their favourite themes and
hard to quell the fun of the irrepressible Chick.

And so, Nan was rather relieved when at a surprisingly early hour the
two aesthetes took their leave.

"Oh, Piccalilli blossoms!" cried Chick, when they were fairly out of
hearing, "did you ever see anything like that! Where did you unearth
them, Patty? The lady one, especially! Wow, but she's a five-reel
scream!"

"Stop that, Chick; I think you're real mean! You made me enough
trouble at the dinner table, and you needn't make fun of my friends
behind their backs."

"But Patty, such backs! I mean, such friends! Oh, I didn't think I
could restrain my laughter till they went away from here,--but I
managed to do so. Souls! Rusty souls! Wowly-wow-wow!"

"Chick, stop it. I tell you, I won't have it!"

"I'll stop in a minute, Patty. Let me laugh a minute, or I'll explode.
I say, Mrs. Fairfield, did you ever see anything like the lady's robe!
I don't often notice costumes of the fair sex, but that was a hummer
from Humville."

"Don't, Chick," said Nan, noticing Patty's quivering lip; "they're
Patty's friends, and I'd rather you wouldn't ridicule them."

"I'd rather not myself, honest, Mrs. Fairfield, I'd rather not,