l, now," she said to her father when he
remonstrated with her, "and I don't mind how hard I work as long as I
haven't lessons to study at the same time."

Aside from assisting with various booths and tables, Patty had charge of
a gypsy encampment, which she spared no pains to make as gay and
interesting as possible.

The "Romany Rest" she called the little enclosure which was to represent
the gypsies'home, and Patty not only superintended the furnishing and
arranging of the place, but also directed the details of the costumes
which were to be worn by the young people who were to represent gypsies.

The Fairfields' house was filled with guests who had come down for the
fair.

Patty had invited Elise and Roger Farrington, and Bertha and Winthrop
Warner. Mr. Hepworth and Kenneth Harper were there, too, and the merry
crowd of young people worked zealously in their endeavours to assist
Patty and Nan.

Mr. Hepworth, of course, was especially helpful in arranging the gypsy
encampment, and designing the picturesque costumes for the girls and
young men who were to act as gypsies. The white blouses with gay-coloured
scarfs and broad sombreros were beautiful to look at, even if, as Patty
said, they were more like Spanish fandangoes than like any gypsy garments
she had ever seen.

"Don't expose your ignorance, my child," said Mr. Hepworth, smiling at
her. "A Romany is not an ordinary gypsy and is always clothed in this
particular kind of garb."

"Then that's all that's necessary," said Patty. "I bow to your superior
judgment, and I feel sure that all the patrons of the fair will spend
most of their time at the 'Romany Rest.'"

The day on which the fair was to open was a busy one, and everybody was
up betimes, getting ready for the grand event.

A fancy dress parade was to be one of the features of the first evening,
and as a prize was offered for the cleverest costume, all of the
contestants were carefully guarding the secret of the characters their
costumes would represent. Although Roger had given no hint of what his
costume was to be, he calmly announced that he knew it would take the
prize. The others laughed, thinking this a jest, and Patty was of a
private opinion that probably Mr. Hepworth's costume would be cleverer
than Roger's, as the artist had most original and ingenious ideas.

The fair was to open at three in the afternoon, and soon after twelve
o'clock Patty rushed into the house looking for somebody to s