When people Pattied her, it generally
meant they had a favor to ask, or something of the sort.

"Remember, you're to be very careful not to let Hilary
suspect--anything."

"About the room and--?"

"I mean--everything."

"Won't she like it--all, when she does know?"

"Well, rather!"

Patience wriggled excitedly. "It's like having a fairy godmother,
isn't it? And three wishes? If you'd had three wishes, Paul, wouldn't
you've chosen--"

"You'd better begin quieting down, Patience, or Hilary can't help
suspecting something."

Patience drew a long breath. "If she knew--she wouldn't stay a single
day longer, would she?"

"That's one reason why she mustn't know."

"When will you tell her; or is mother going to?"

"I don't know yet. See here, Patience, you may drive--if you won't hi
yi."

"Please, Paul, let me, when we get to the avenue. It's stupid coming
to a place, like Fanny'd gone to sleep."

"Not before--and only once then," Pauline stipulated, and Patience
possessed her soul in at least a faint semblance of patience until they
turned into the avenue of maples. Then she suddenly tightened her hold
on the reins, bounced excitedly up and down, crying sharply--"Hi yi!"

Fanny instantly pricked up her ears, and, what was more to the purpose,
actually started into what might almost have been called a trot.
"There! you see!" Patience said proudly, as they turned into the yard.

Hilary came down the porch steps. "I heard Impatience urging her
Rosinante on," she laughed. "Why didn't you let her drive all the way,
Paul? I've been watching for you since dinner."

"We've been pretty nearly since dinner getting here, it seems to me,"
Patience declared. "We had to wait for Paul to write a letter first
to--"

"Are you alone?" Pauline broke in hurriedly, asking the first question
that came into her mind.

Hilary smiled ruefully. "Not exactly. Mr. Boyd's asleep in the
sitting-room, and Mrs. Boyd's taking a nap up-stairs in her own room."

"You poor child!" Pauline said. "Jump out, Patience!"

"_Have_ you brought me something to read? I've finished both the books
I brought with me, and gone through a lot of magazines--queer old
things, that Mrs. Boyd took years and years ago."

"Then you've done very wrong," Pauline told her severely, leading Fanny
over to a shady spot at one side of the yard and tying her to the
fence--a quite unnecessary act, as nothing would have induced Fanny to
take her de