fatal error before Aunt
Pattie; he had confessed to having been a voter before he owned a dress
suit.

Paul Gresham arrived, and Aunt Pattie was as the essence of violets.
Paul, though American-born, was a second cousin of Lord Yawpingham.
Johnny and Paul sat and inwardly barked at each other. Johnny almost
barked outwardly.

Val Russel and Bruce Townley came, and everybody breathed a sigh of
relief.

"Well, Johnny," said Val, "I just now saw your newest speculation
driving down the Avenue in a pea-green gown and a purple hat."

"I never had a speculation like that," denied Johnny.

"Sounds like a scandal," decided Bruce Townley.

"You might as well tell it, Val," laughed Constance with a mischievous
glance at Johnny.

"It hasn't gone very far as yet," replied Val, enjoying Johnny's
discomfort, "but it promises well. Johnny and I called upon a wealthy
spinster, away upon Riverside Drive, this morning, ostensibly to buy
real estate."

Val, leaning his cheek upon his knuckles with his middle finger upon
his temple, imitated Miss Purry's languishing air so perfectly that
Aunt Pattie and Gresham, both of whom knew the lady, could see her in
the flesh--or at least in the bone.

"'Ostensible' is a good word in that neighborhood," opined Gresham
lightly. "Were you trying to buy Miss Purry's vacant riverfront
property?"

Notwithstanding his seeming nonchalance, Gresham betrayed an earnest
interest which Constance noted, and she turned to Johnny with a quick
little shake of her head, but he was already answering, and she frowned
slightly.

Mrs. Follison arrived, and after her the rest of the committee came
trooping by twos and threes,--a bright, busy, chattering mob which
stopped all personal conversation.

Last of all came Polly Parsons, accompanied by Ashley Loring and Sammy
Chirp, and by the fluffy little orphan whom she had been keeping in
school for the last three years.

"I know I'm late," declared Polly defiantly; "but I don't adopt a
sister every day. I stopped at Loring's office to do it, and I'm so
proud I'm cross-eyed. Sister Winnie, shake hands with everybody and
then run out in the gardens with Sammy."

Dutifully, Winnie, in her new role of sister, shook hands with
everybody and clenched their friendship with her wide blue eyes and her
ingenuous smile; and, dutifully, Sammy Chirp, laden with her sun-hat
and parasol and fan, her vanity box and lace hand-bag, took her out
into the gardens, and th