So at two o'clock Patty found herself gently awakened, to see Nan at her
bedside, arranging a dainty tray of luncheon which a maid had brought in.

"Here you are, girlie," said the cheery voice, "sit up now, and see what
we have for you here."

Patty awoke a little bewildered, but soon gathered her scattered senses,
and viewed with pleasure the broiled chicken and crisp salad before her.

Exhaustion had made her hungry, and while she ate, Nan busied herself in
getting out the pretty costume that Patty was to wear at commencement.

But the sight of the white organdie frock with its fluffy ruffles and
soft laces brought back Patty's apprehensions.

"Oh, Nan," she cried in dismay, "I'm not nearly ready for commencement! I
haven't copied my poem yet, and I haven't had a minute to practice
reading it for the last two weeks. What shall I do?"

"That's all attended to," said Nan,--"the copying, I mean. You've been so
busy doing other people's work, that of course you haven't had time to
attend to your own, so I gave your poem to your father, and he had it
typewritten for you, and here it is all ready. Now, while you dress, I'll
read it to you, and that will bring it back to your memory."

"Nan, you are a dear," cried Patty, jumping up and flying across the room
to give her stepmother a hearty caress. "Whatever would I do without you?
I'm all right now, and if you'll just elocute that thing, while I array
myself in purple and fine linen, I'm sure it will all come back to me."

So Nan read Patty's jolly little class poem line by line, and Patty
repeated it after her as she proceeded with her toilette.

She was ready before the appointed time, and the carriage was at the
door, but Nan would not let her go.

"No, my lady," she said, "you don't stir out of this house until the very
last minute. If you get over there ahead of time, you'll begin to make
somebody a new costume, or build a throne for the fairy queen, or some
foolish trick like that. Now you sit right straight down in that chair
and read your poem over slowly, while I whip into my own clothes, and
then we'll go along together. Fred can't come until a little later
anyway. Sit still now, and don't wriggle around and spoil that pretty
frock."

Patty obeyed like a docile child, and Nan flew away to don her own pretty
gown for the occasion.

When she returned in a soft grey crepe de chine, with a big grey hat and
feathers, she was such a pretty picture that Pa