“What?  What does that mean?”

“Just what it says!  It’s a big bazaar,—­of course,—­and we’re going to call it Vanity Fair and sell only gay, dainty, dinky little contraptions, and have all sorts of pretty booths and fancy dances and flower stands, and—­oh, everything that Vanity Fair suggests.”

“Fine!” approved Elise.  “Great name!  Who thought of it?  You, Betty?  I’m for it,—­heart and soul!  How about you, Azalea?”

The Western girl stood silent.  This was the sort of thing that was outside her ken.  Though she had been at Wistaria Porch for some weeks now, and had become fairly conversant with the ways of Patty and her friends, this kind of a gay project was to her an unknown field.

“It must be beautiful,—­to know about things like that,”—­she said, at last, so wistfully, that Patty put out a hand and drew Azalea to her side.

It was this sort of a speech that made Patty feel that she was making headway in her efforts to improve the girl, and she rejoiced to have her show a desire to join in the new project.

“You can help us lots, I’m sure, Zaly,” she said, kindly, “and you’ll have a chance to learn about it all.  There’s heaps of fun in a Fair, especially when it’s all novel to you.  It’s an old story to us, but I always love anything of the sort.  We’ll have it here, you see, and it will be a lawn fete and a house party and a general hullabaloo!”

“We’re making out the committees,” said Betty, “and, you’ll be here, won’t you, Elise?”

“Well, I just guess!  You can’t lose me!  I shall be back and forth, of course, but I’ll do my share of the work, and exact my share of the fun.”

“Fine!” said Betty, a bit absently, as she was deeply absorbed in her list of names.

“Of course,” Patty went on, partly to the others and partly as if merely thinking aloud for her own benefit, “there will be all the regulation things,—­lemonade well, fortune-telling, society circus and everything, but the idea is to have every one of them just a little bit different from what it has always been before, and have it in harmony with the idea of Vanity Fair.”

“The book?” asked Elise.

“No, not Thackeray.  I mean, just the idea of the gay atmosphere,—­the light, giddy side of life.  For instance, let’s have a Vanity booth and sell all sorts of aids to beauty—­”

“Powder and paint!” exclaimed Azalea, in surprise.

“Well, I meant more like lacy caps and stunning negligees.  And yes, of course, vanity cases and powder-puff bags and mirrors and perfumes,—­oh, all sorts of foolishnesses that are pretty.”

“I know,” said Elise, nodding her head.  “And we’ll have an artificial flower booth,—­that’s right in line.  And people love to buy ’em,—­I do.”

“And laces,” said Patty; “and embroidered boudoir pillows, and oh,—­and baby things!  Why Fleurette’s nursery wardrobe looks like a Vanity Fair itself!”