's nothing,
anyway! Only there _was_ a letter for you from Bill Farnsworth, and I
took it from May, and kept it for a while, just to tease you. I was
going to give it to you to-morrow, anyway; but Jim came and asked me
about it, and made _such_ a fuss! Men are so _silly_!"

"Why, no, Daisy, it isn't anything much; only you know people _do_
like to have letters that belong to them! But, as you say, it's
nothing to make a fuss about. Incidentally, I believe it's a State's
prison offence,--or would be if you opened it. You didn't, did you?"

"Of course not!" said Daisy; "but I knew it was only a card, like
ours, and I just kept it back for fun."

"It doesn't seem to me an awfully good joke,--but never mind that.
Give me the letter, and we'll call it square, and I won't have you
arrested or anything."

Patty spoke lightly, but really she was deeply annoyed at this foolish
trick of Daisy's. However, since Jim had found out the truth and made
Daisy own up, there was no great harm done.

"I haven't got the letter," said Daisy. "I left it downstairs, but we
can get it in the morning. I'm sure it's only a card; it is just the
same size and shape as ours."

"Daisy, what did you do it for?" And Patty looked the girl in the
eyes, in a real curiosity to know why she should descend to this petty
meanness.

"Because you're such a favourite," said Daisy, truthfully. "Everybody
likes you best, and everybody does everything for you, and you get
everything, and I wanted to tease you!"

Patty grasped the girl by her shoulders, and shook her good-naturedly,
while she laughed aloud. "Daisy, you _do_ beat the dickens! You know
that foolish little temper of yours is too silly for anything, and if
you'd conquer it you'd be a whole lot nicer girl! You're just as
pretty as anybody else, and just as jolly and attractive, but you get
a notion that you're slighted when you're _not_; and that makes you
ill-tempered and you lose half your charm. Don't you know that if you
want people to love you and admire you, you must be sunshiny and
pleasant?"

"Huh, that isn't my nature, I s'pose. I can't help my quick temper.
But, anyway, Patty, you're a dear not to get mad,--and I'll give you
the letter the first thing in the morning."

"Where is it, Daisy?"

"Oh, I just stuck it between two volumes of a cyclopaedia, on a shelf
in the library. So, you see, we can't get it till morning; but it will
be safe there, don't worry."

"I'm not worrying,