layed hide and seek till I'm utterly worn
out," she said, "and I think I shall sleep for a week!"

"But I'm going away to-morrow," said Philip, detaining her a moment.

"But you're coming back next week. I'll promise to be awake by then.
But now I'm going to hibernate, like a bear! Good-night, everybody!"
and Patty ran upstairs without further ceremony.

But as, in her pretty blue negligee, she sat before the mirror
brushing her long hair, Mona, Daisy, and Adele all came into her
room, quite evidently with a determination to chat.

"You're an old sleepy-head, Patty," declared Adele. "You may sleep as
late as you like in the morning, but we want to have a little confab
now, about lots of things."

"Nicht, nein, non, no!" cried Patty, jumping up and brandishing her
hair-brush. "I know perfectly well what your confabs mean,--an hour or
more of chattering and giggling! Come in the morning,--I'm going to
have my chocolate upstairs to-morrow,--and I'll give you all the
information you want. But as for to-night, skip, scoot, scamper, and
vamoose, every dear, sweet, pretty little one of you!"

Laughingly, Patty pushed the three out of her room, and closing the
door after them, turned its key, unheeding their protests, and
returned to her hair-brushing.

"It's no use, Patricia," she said, talking to herself in the mirror,
as she often did, "letting those girls keep you up till all hours! You
need your beauty sleep, to preserve what small pretence to good looks
you have left."

Patty was not really vain of her pretty face, but she well knew that
her delicate type of beauty could not stand continuous late hours
without showing it, and Patty was not mistaken when she claimed for
herself a good share of common sense.

But as she brushed away at the golden tangle of curls, she heard a light
tap at her door, which sounded insistent, rather than mischievous.

"Who is it?" she asked, as she rose and went toward the door.

"It's Daisy," said a low voice. "Let me in, Patty, just for a minute."

So Patty opened the door, and Daisy Dow came in.

"I want to tell you something," she said, as Patty stood waiting,
brush in hand. "I don't really want to tell you a bit,--but Jim says I
must," and Daisy looked decidedly cross and ill-tempered.

Patty realised that it was a bother of some kind, and she said,
gently, "Leave it till morning, Daisy; we'll both feel brighter then."

"No; Jim said I must tell you to-night. Oh, pshaw, it