tly like you. But, if you
remember, my lady, you were some few years older than nineteen when
you married my revered father."

"That's true enough, Patty, and I can tell you I'm glad I didn't
accept any of the young men who asked me before Fred did."

"I'm jolly glad, too; and father was in luck when he got you. But
you're not going to be rid of me yet for a long time, I can tell you
that much. Well, more things happened last night. Philip and I made up
our quarrel,--which wasn't much of a quarrel anyway,--and Roger and
Mona are pretty much at peace again; though, if Mona keeps on with
that Lansing idiot, Roger won't stand it much longer. And I'm going to
the opera to-night in the Van Reypen box, and I'm going skating
to-morrow,--oh, there's the mail!"

Patty jumped up and ran to take the letters from Jane, who brought in
a trayful.

"Quite a bunch for you, Nansome," and Patty tossed a lot of letters in
Nan's lap. "And a whole lot of beautiful, fat envelopes for me. 'Most
all invitations, as you can see at a glance. Two or three requests for
charity,--they show on the outside, too. A few bills, a few circulars
and advertisements, and all the rest invitations. Isn't it gorgeous,
Nan, to be invited to such heaps of things?"

"Don't wear yourself out, Patty," returned Nan, a little
absent-mindedly, being absorbed in a letter from her mother.

Having weeded out the more interesting looking letters, Patty returned
to her sofa, and curled up there with both feet under her, looking
like a very pretty and very civilised little Turk. With a slender
paper cutter she slashed all the envelopes, and then went through them
one by one, making running comments of delight or indifference as she
read the various contents.

But suddenly a more excited exclamation broke from her. "Oh, my
goodness, gracious, sakes alive!" she cried. "Nan, _will_ you listen
to this!"

"Wait a minute, honey, till I finish this letter," and Nan went on
reading to herself.

Patty dashed through eight pages of sprawly penmanship, and as soon as
she finished she read it all over again.

"Now, Miss Fairfield, what's it all about?" and Nan folded her own
letter and returned it to its envelope.

"Well, in a nutshell, it's a Christmas Country House Party! Could
anything be more delightfuller?"

"Who, where, what, when?" And Nan patiently awaited further
enlightenment.

"Oh, Nan, it's _too_ gorgeous!" And Patty's eyes ran through the letter
again. "