you know? You clair-voyant!"

"Of course I know," and Patty wagged a wise head at him. "First,
because you're not sufficiently surprised,--she told you all about it!
And second, because you're not furious at Azalea! Mona has talked you
around to her way of thinking,--which is, that Azalea is a genius,--and
that--"

"That Fleurette is another! Think of being on the screen at the tender
age of six months!"

"You're a wretch! you're a monster! you're a--a--dromedary!"

Patty was feeling decidedly better about the whole matter. Having sat
for nearly an hour, holding and fondling her idolised child, she
realised that whatever Fleurette had gone through, she was safe
now,--and that whatever was to be done to Azalea by way of punishment,
was more Bill's affair than hers.

"You don't care two cents for your wonder-child! Your own little
buttercup,--your daffy-downdilly baby!" she cried, in pretended
reproof, and then Farnsworth took Fleurette and tossed her about until
she squealed with glee.

"Oh, I guess we'll keep her," he said, as he handed her back to her
mother's arms. "She's the paragon baby of the whole world, even if I
don't appreciate her."

"Oh, you do! you _do_!" exclaimed Patty, remorseful now at having teased
him. "And now, Sweet William, what's _your_ idea of a right and proper
punishment for Cousin Azalea?"

"That's a matter for some thought," he responded, mindful of Mona's
words. "Look here, Patty, quite aside from Fleurette's connection with
this case,--what's your opinion of Zaly as a 'movie' star?"

"She's great, dear,--she really is. And--if she weren't our relative--"

"_My_ relative--"

"_Our_ relative, I should advise her to go in for the thing seriously;
but,--I may be over-conservative,--even snobbish, but I do hate to have
our cousin's portrait all over the fences and ashbarrels, and in all the
Sunday papers, and--"

"I don't mind that publicity so much as I do the possible effects on
Azalea's life. I don't know that the career of a 'movie' star is as full
of dangerous pitfalls as the theatrical line, but--I hate to see Azalea
subjected to them,--for her own sake."

"I'm not sure we'll have anything to say in the matter," Patty observed,
thoughtfully.

"She may take the bit in her own teeth. After seeing her break that
bucking broncho to-day,--I don't think her as tractable and easily
influenced as I did!"

"How's this plan, dearest? Suppose we don't tell Azalea, for the
moment,