in every room," said Arabella. "Have you been in the
observatory?"

"The _what_?" asked Arabella.

Patricia was sure that she had made a mistake.

"The room where the flowers are?" she said.

"Oh, the _conservatory_, you mean," Arabella said, grandly. "No, I
haven't been in there, but I've seen the flowers from the doorway, and
they're lovely."

"Well, they're twice as lovely when you're right in the room with them.
I _know_, because I've been in there!" said Patricia.

"_When_?" queried Arabella.

"The last time I was there," Patricia replied, "and _now_ I'll tell you
something; there's something in that room that I know about, and not
another girl knows it but me. I won't tell you what it is now, but at
the party I'll do better than _tell_ you; I'll _show_ you. We'll go out
into the hall when nobody is looking at us, and we'll go into the
what-you-call-it,--"

"The conservatory," prompted Arabella.

"The conservatory," repeated Patricia, "and then you'll see _what_
you'll see! I _promise_ to surprise you."

"Don't you tell if I tell you," said Arabella.

"No, '_ndeed_," Patricia agreed.

"Well, Aunt Matilda said she wouldn't let me wear anything _flighty_, so
she's made me a dress like a Puritan, and my domino is tan color."

Arabella's curiosity forced her to tell all that Patricia longed to
know, because she was simply wild to visit the conservatory, and find
out what it was that Patricia could show.

With vows of secrecy they parted, Patricia walking slowly homeward;
Arabella running all the way.

"Aunt Matilda'll say something, I guess, when she sees me," she
whispered as she ran, "First thing she'll ask where I've been, and oh, I
never thought to take those horrid pills! The bottle is in my pocket,
and I've eaten candy and ice cream! It's lucky she don't know _that_; if
she did she'd say, 'I shouldn't wonder if that child had fits before
morning!' She don't know it, and p'r'aps I won't have the fits."

CHAPTER VIII

THE PARTY

Lights blazed from every window of the stone house, the great garden
was brilliantly lighted, even the twinkling stars overhead seemed
brighter than usual, as if they knew of the party, and were laughing as
they watched the little guests arriving.

Lightly they stepped from their carriages, and flew up the steps as if
their feet had wings.

What was their surprise to see the manservant, at the door as usual, to
be sure, but in a fine old suit of livery th