d he said to me (without even a smile), 'I am not
sure, miss; will you please step into the drawing-room and I'll see.' I
was going to tell him that he needn't bother, as I knew she was out; but
I thought that perhaps it would look a little better if I waited and let
him find out for himself. So I walked in and sat down in a
pink-and-white embroidered _Louis-Quatorze_ chair. There was a big
mirror in front of me, and I had plenty of time to study the effect,
which, I will acknowledge, was a trifle mixed."

"A trifle," Georgie assented.

"I was beginning," pursued Patty, "to feel nervous for fear some of the
family might drop in, when the man came back and said, 'Mrs. Millard
will be down in a minute.'

"If I had seen you at that moment, Georgie Merriles, there would have
been battle, murder, and sudden death. My first thought was of flight;
but the man was guarding the door, and Mrs. Prexy had my card. While I
was frenziedly trying to think of a valid excuse for my costume the lady
came in, and I rose and greeted her graciously, one might almost say
gushingly. I talked very fast and tried to hypnotize her, so that she
would keep her eyes on my face; but it was no use: I saw them traveling
downward, and pretty soon I knew by the amused expression that they had
arrived at my shoes.

"Concealment was no longer possible," pursued Patty, warming to her
subject. "I threw myself upon her mercy and confessed the whole damning
truth. What kind of ice-cream is that?" she demanded, leaning forward
and gazing anxiously after a passing maid. "_Don't_ tell me they're
giving us raspberry again!"

"No; it's vanilla. Go on, Patty."

"Well, where was I?"

"You'd just told her the truth."

"Oh, yes. She said she'd always wanted to meet the college girls
informally and know them just as they are, and she was very glad of this
opportunity. And there I sat, looking like a kaleidoscope and feeling
like a fool, and she taking it for granted that I was being perfectly
natural. Complimentary, wasn't it? At this point dinner was announced,
and she invited me to stay--quite insisted, in fact, to make up, she
said, for the one I had missed when I was ill in the infirmary." Patty
looked around the table with a reminiscent smile.

"What did you say? Did you refuse?" asked Lucille.

"No; I accepted, and am over there at present, eating _pate de foie
gras_."

"No, really, Patty; what did you say?"

"Well," said Patty, "I told her that t