g these one day came Mr. Phelps, whom they had met on their journey
out from New York.

This gentleman proved to be of a merry disposition, and added greatly to
the gaiety of the party. While he was there, Roger also came back for a
few days, having left Mr. and Mrs. Farrington for a short stay at
Nantucket.

One morning, as Patty and Roger stood in the hall, waiting for the other
young people to join them, they were startled to hear angry voices in the
music-room.

This room was separated from them by the length of the library, and
though not quite distinct, the voices were unmistakably those of Bertha
and Winthrop.

"You did!" said Winthrop's voice, "don't deny it! You're a horrid hateful
old thing!"

"I didn't! any such thing," replied Bertha's voice, which sounded on the
verge of tears.

"You did! and if you don't give it back to me, I'll tell mother. Mother
said if she caught you at such a thing again, she'd punish you as you
deserved, and I'm going to tell her!"

Patty felt most uncomfortable at overhearing this quarrel. She had never
before heard a word of disagreement between Bertha and her brother, and
she was surprised as well as sorry to hear this exhibition of temper.

Roger looked horrified, and glanced at Patty, not knowing exactly what to
do.

The voices waxed more angry, and they heard Bertha declare, "You're a
horrid old telltale! Go on and tell, if you want to, and I'll tell what
you stole out of father's desk last week!"

"How did you know that?" and Winthrop's voice rang out in rage.

"Oh, I know all about it. You think nobody knows anything but yourself,
Smarty-cat! Just wait till I tell father and see what he'll do to you."

"You won't tell him! Promise me you won't, or I'll,--I'll hit you! There,
take that!"

"That" seemed to be a resounding blow, and immediately Bertha's cries
broke forth in angry profusion.

"Stop crying," yelled her brother, "and stop punching me. Stop it, I
say!"

At this point the conversation broke off suddenly, and Patty and Roger
stared in stupefied amazement as they saw Bertha and Winthrop walk in
smiling, and hand in hand, from exactly the opposite direction from which
their quarrelsome voices had sounded.

"What's the matter?" said Bertha. "Why do you look so shocked and scared
to death?"

"N-nothing," stammered Patty; while Roger blurted out, "We thought we
heard you talking over that way, and then you came in from this way. Who
could it have be