“Nonsense,” said Patty.  “I fixed it up pretty because I thought it would please you.  If you don’t like it—­”

“Oh, we like it,” cried Christine Converse, “we love it!  We want to take it home with us and put it under a glass case.”

“Stop your nonsense, girls,” said Marian, who had noticed Patty’s rising colour, “and take your places.  It’s a beautiful party, and a lot too good for such ungrateful wretches!  If you can read writing, you’ll find your names on your cards.”

“I can read writing,” said Lillian Desmond, “but not such elegant gold curlycues as these.  Won’t you please spell it out for me, Miss Fairfield?”

“Oh, take any place you choose,” said Patty, laughing good-naturedly.  She didn’t really mind their chaff, but she began to think herself that she had been a little absurd.

Then Pansy brought in the various dishes that Patty had worked so hard over, and perhaps you will not be surprised to learn that they were almost uneatable, or, at least, very far from the dainty perfection they ought to have shown.

On discovering this, the girls, who were really well-bred, in spite of their love of chaffing, quite changed their manner and, ignoring the situation, began merrily to discuss the play.

But as the various viands proved a continuous succession of failures, Patty became really embarrassed and began to make apologies.

“Don’t say a word,” said Marian; “it was all my fault.  I insisted on spending the day here, and I nearly bothered the life out of my poor cousin.  Indeed, I carried her off bodily from the kitchen just at a dozen critical moments.”

“No, it wasn’t that,” said honest Patty, “but I did just what I’m always doing, trying to make a lot of things I don’t know anything about”

“Well,” said Elsie, “if you couldn’t try them on us girls, I don’t know who you could try them on; I’m more than willing to be a martyr to the cause, and I say three cheers for our noble President!”

The cheers were given with a will, and Patty’s equanimity being restored, she was her own merry self again, and they all laughed and chatted as only a lot of happy girls can.

And that’s how it happened that when Mr. Fairfield reached home at about six o’clock he heard what sounded like a general pandemonium in the dining-room.  As he appeared in the doorway he was greeted by a merry ovation, for most of the Tea Club members knew and liked Patty’s pleasant and genial father.

Then the girls, realising how late it was, began to take their leave.  Marian went with them, and Patty, after the last one had gone, returned to the dining-room, to find her father regarding the table with a look of comical dismay.

It was indeed a magnificent ruin.  Besides the dishes of almost untasted delicacies, the flowers had been pushed into disarray, one small vase had been upset and broken; owing to improper adjustment the candles had dripped pink wax on the table-cloth; and the ice cream, which Pansy had mistakenly served on open-work plates, had melted and run through.