t he could make me earn for him.

"I don't know which would be the worse to work for, Professor Bonfanti
or my old Uncle Steve, but this I _do_ know: I hope no one will ever
take me away from you, Dorothy!"

"And no one shall!" cried Dorothy, throwing her arms around Nancy, and
holding her fast.

"I wouldn't have been so frightened if it was just what I saw to-day,
but don't you know that just before we left the Stone House, I had a
dream of being stolen. I'd not thought of it for weeks, but--well, that
man _did_ look like the ballet-master."

* * * * *

Patricia Levine had enjoyed the sleigh-ride. She had liked the clear,
bracing air; she had liked being included in the list made out by Mrs.
Marvin for the first ride of the season, but she had been annoyed by
Arabella.

She stood drumming on the window-pane, and wondering how to begin the
lecture that she intended to give Arabella, that is, if Arabella would
_ever_ get her wraps off, and sit down. She turned from the window.

"Well, I never saw such a slowpoke!" she cried.

Arabella blinked. Patricia thought she might as well begin, if she
wished to say all that was in her mind before dinner.

"I certainly was provoked with you, Arabella, this afternoon. You looked
just umbrageous with all those coats and shawls on," said Patricia.

"I looked what?" Arabella asked with a dull stare.

"I _said_ um-bra-geous!" cried Patricia.

"I don't know what that word means," drawled Arabella.

"Neither do I," said Patricia, "but I know that's the way you looked."

"I can't unbutton this top button of my coat," remarked Arabella.

Patricia jerked the button from the buttonhole, and continued:

"How do you s'pose I like to have you act so queer, and then have the
girls call you my 'chum'?"

Arabella instead of replying to the question remarked:

"And the fringe on this shawl has caught on a hook on my dress so I
can't get it off."

Patricia's eyes were blazing. She was so angry that she hardly knew what
she was saying.

"The idea! You had on two coats and a sweater, and as if that wasn't
enough for any one girl to wear you went after two shawls. When you got
all those duds on you looked as big as an _elegant_!"

"A _what_!" gasped Arabella.

"I'm too tired to say it over again," said Patricia, who now knew that
she had made a funny error.

"But," persisted Arabella, "you said I looked as--"

It was no use to talk to the wall