began almost to get the better of her. No thirteen weeks had ever
appeared so long. She felt as if she had been away from home for years,
and she yearned for a sight of all the loved faces. Letters, though very
well in their way, were unsatisfactory things, especially the
children's, which contained little news for the amount of paper covered,
and consisted mostly of wishes for her return, with a whole page of
crosses meant to represent kisses at the end. Now at last, however, she
could count the remainder of the term by days instead of weeks, and her
fancy was busy painting in rainbow colours a picture of her arrival,
first at the station, where perhaps her father would meet her, and then
at the dear, well-known door, where her mother would be waiting to clasp
her in the warmest hug, and all the younger ones would be watching
eagerly to welcome her back again. It was such an enthralling prospect
that Patty's eyes shone whenever she thought about it, and she sometimes
executed a little dance of delight in the privacy of her cubicle, to let
off some of the effervescence of her spirits.

"Only four days more!" she said to herself one night. "I suppose I shall
manage to get through them somehow! I wonder if it seems as long to
Mother and the others! I've never looked forward to anything so much in
my life. It makes me wild with joy to think it's so near."

Poor Patty! In the midst of her pleasant anticipations a bitter
disappointment was in store for her. It seemed hard indeed that all her
cherished plans must suddenly and ruthlessly be destroyed; but it takes
a mingled warp and woof of joy and sorrow to weave the patterns of our
lives, and a piece of dark background is sometimes needed to bring the
brighter parts into full relief. The very next morning a letter arrived
from Mrs. Hirst, containing such bad news that Patty had to read it
twice over before she entirely grasped the full meaning of its tidings.
Three of the younger children were ill with scarlet fever, Rowley
seriously so, and Robin and Kitty quite poorly enough to cause a certain
amount of anxiety. The small patients had been carefully isolated, and
so far the other children were well; but they were of course liable to
develop the complaint, and needed careful watching. In the circumstances
it was quite impossible for Patty to come home. She must not venture
within danger of infection, for even if she did not take scarlet fever
herself, it would not be right