lengthening mop of pale, ashy hair and a
face of delicate intensity. She really had not changed at all in
Patricia's short absence, but the different surroundings made both girls
view her with other eyes, and she seemed to have taken on new height and
color.

"I'm growing!" cried Judith rapturously, turning from the mirror to rush
into Elinor's room with the glorious news. "Oh, Elinor, I'm nearly up to
Miss Pat's ear-tip now."

Patricia heard Elinor's laughing comments with a smile of satisfaction
curving her pink lips. She knew that Judith did not measure a fraction
of an inch more than when she left Rockham, but she was glad that the
images in the glass had cheered the critical Judith, whose lamentations
about her size and coloring were always loudest when she faced a
looking-glass.

It was only a very little thing, this incident of cheering Judith, but
it warmed Patricia's already glowing heart and added the final drop to
her cup of happiness, and she started off on their expedition to the
Artemis tea-room with such a radiant face that Judith commented on it.

"Miss Pat," she whispered with a warning nudge as they fell behind the
other two in the crowded pavement, "you ought to take a tuck in your
smile. Everybody will be looking at us if you go along grinning like
that."

But Patricia only smiled the more at this and Judith gave her up in
despair of making any impression on her abounding good humor.

"She's perfectly dreadful, Mrs. Nat," she confided as she slipped to her
old friend's side, leaving Patricia to Elinor for the rest of the walk.
"She doesn't care a bit about how she looks. Lots of people turned to
stare at us."

Mrs. Spicer nodded approval of Patricia's reckless course. "Don't you
fret, my dear," she soothed Judith. "Miss Pat is worth looking at any
time and folks like to see a real happy person once in a while. Land
knows why we're all so afraid to show our joyful side to the world. Let
her alone. Good times don't last too long for any of us."

Judith meditated on this bit of wisdom and she watched Patricia closely
when they reached the street where the house was located. There was no
clouding of the bright face, however, at the sight of the substantial
graystone building, and Judith drew a sigh of relief that Patricia's
happy hour was lengthened by so much.

"Isn't it a perfect duck of a place?" said Patricia as they stood at the
wide entrance door. "It's just like some of the old houses