eyes and blinked, as Nan pulled the book away from her,
and said, "Why, what time is it?"

"Time for you to stop studying, and come out of your shell and mingle
with the world. Wake up!" and Nan gave Patty a little shake.

Patty came to herself and jumped up, saying, "Indeed, I'm glad enough to
leave my horrid books, and I'm hungry enough to eat any dinner you may
set before me. What shall I wear, Nan?"

"Put on that pretty light blue thing of yours, with the lace yoke. This
is rather a festival night, and we're going to celebrate the first dinner
in our new home."

So Patty brushed her curly hair and tied on a white ribbon bow of such
exceeding size and freshness that she looked almost as if wings were
sprouting from her shoulders. Then she donned her light blue frock, and
went dancing downstairs, to find that her father had already arrived.

"Well, Pattikins," he said, "can you feel at home in this big house,
after living so long in our apartment?"

"Yes, indeed," said Patty, "any place is home where you and Nan are."

The dinner passed off gaily enough. Only the three were present, as Nan
did not want any guests the first night.

Although the dining-room appointments were those that had furnished the
Fairfields'Vernondale home, yet they were so augmented by numerous
wedding gifts of Nan's that Patty felt as if she were at a dinner party
of unusual splendour.

"It's lovely to live in a house with a bride," she said, "because there
are such beautiful silver and glass things on the table, and on the
sideboard."

"Yes," said Nan, glancing around her with satisfaction. "I intend to use
all my things. I think it's perfectly silly to pack them away in a safe,
and never have any good of them."

"But suppose burglars break in and steal them," said Patty.

"Well, even so," said Nan, placidly, "they would be gone, but it wouldn't
be much different from having them stored away in a safe deposit
company."

"Nan's principle is right," said Mr. Fairfield. "Now, here's the way I
look at it: what you can't afford to lose, you can't afford to buy.
Remember that, Patty, and if ever you are tempted to invest a large sum
of money in a diamond or silver or any portable property, look upon that
money as gone forever. True, you might realise on your possession in case
of need, but more likely you could not, and, too, there is always the
chance of losing it by carelessness or theft. So remember that you can't
afford to buy w