ir!" and Patty looked at him with big, round eyes.

"Why not?"

"I don't like to dance with a man who doesn't like me."

"I _do_ like you, you silly child."

"Oh, no, you don't, either! and I'm _not_ a silly child."

"And you're not enjoying this dance with me?"

"Not a bit!"

"Then there's no use going on with it," and releasing her, Philip
tucked one of her hands through his arm, and calmly marched her into
the conservatory. The seat under the palms was vacant, and as she took
her place in one corner of it, he poked one or two cushions deftly
behind her back and made her entirely comfortable. Then he sat down
beside her.

"Now," he commanded, "say you're sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"That you carried on with that horrid man and spoiled our friendship."

"Didn't carry on, and he isn't a horrid man, and our friendship isn't
spoiled, and I'm not sorry."

"Not sorry that our friendship isn't spoiled?"

"No; 'course I'm not! You don't s'pose I want it to be spoiled, do
you?"

"Well, you certainly did all in your power to spoil it."

"Now, look here, Philip Van Reypen, I've already exhausted myself this
evening patching up one spoiled friendship, and it's just about worn
me out! Now if ours needs any patching up, you'll have to do it
yourself. I shan't raise a finger toward it!"

Patty leaned back among her pillows, looking lovely and provoking. She
tried to scowl at him, but her dimples broke through the scowl and
turned it into a smile. Whereupon, she dropped her eyes, and tried to
assume a look of bored indifference.

Van Reypen looked at her. "So she won't raise a finger, won't she? And
I've got to do it myself, have I? Well, then, I suppose I'll have to
raise her finger for her." Patty's hand was lying idly in her lap, and
he picked up her slender pink forefinger slowly, and with an
abstracted air. "I don't know how raising a finger helps to patch up a
spoiled friendship," he went on, as if to himself, "but she seems to
think it does, and so, of course, it does! Well, now, mademoiselle,
your finger is raised,--is our quarrel all patched up?"

Philip held her finger in one hand, and clasped her whole hand with
the other, as he smiled into her eyes, awaiting an answer to his
question.

Patty looked up suddenly, and quickly drew her hand away.

"Unhand me, villain!" she laughed, "and don't bother about our
friendship! I'm not worrying over it."

"You needn't, little girl," and Philip's voice ran