She made her selections with care, as she honestly wanted to do credit to Marie’s musicale, and then, taking several pieces of music, she ran up to Nan’s room to ask her final judgment in the matter.

“You’ll have a lot of fun out of this, Patty,” said Nan, laughing, as she heard the whole story.  “When is it to be?”

“Friday night.  Do you know, Nan, I’d like to play a joke on that boy, between now and then.”

“I think you are playing a joke on him,—­and, besides, he isn’t a boy.”

“No; Marie says he’s about twenty-four.  He’s a civil engineer, besides being a musician.  But, anyway, I’ve got him guessing.  I’m glad Elise didn’t take it to heart, that she wasn’t the right girl,- -but Marie says Elise thinks he’s a freak, anyway.  And, too, I believe he’s not very nice to girls as a rule, so of course Elise won’t want him.  Oh, I’M the only girl in the world for him!”

Patty pirouetted about the room on the tips of her toes, waving a sheet of music in either hand.

“What a silly you are, Patty, with your foolishness!”

Patty dropped on one knee at her stepmother’s side, and clasping her hands, looked up beseechingly into the smiling face over her.

“But you love silly, foolish little girls, don’t you, Nancy Nan?”

“Yes, when they’re you,” and Nan patted the shining head at her knee.

“Well, very few of them are me!”

“Thank goodness for that!  I don’t know what I’d do if you were a half a dozen!”

“You’d have just six times as much fun in your life!” and Patty jumped up and began to sing the songs she had brought.

Then together they decided on the ones she should sing at the musicale.

Although Patty’s voice was not very strong, it was sweet and true and had been carefully cultivated.  She sang with much charm, and her music always gave pleasure.  She never attempted anything beyond her powers, and so her songs, while selected with good taste, were not pretentious.

That evening, while Patty was fluttering around her room, pretending to get ready for bed, but really dawdling, she was moved to telephone once again to the young man who was fond of jokes.

“It’s you, is it?” he almost growled, in response to her call.

“Yes,” said Patty, in a meek little voice; “shall I go away?”

“Great jumping cows!  No!  Don’t go away, stay right where you are!”

“But I’m going away for ever,” said Patty, moved by a dramatic impulse; “my captors have found out that I’m holding communication with you, and they’re going to take me away to another castle, and imprison me there.”

“Stop your fooling; I want to know who you are, and I want to know it quick!  Do you hear that?”

“Yes, I hear,” returned Patty, saucily, “but I don’t have to answer!  And if you talk to me like that, I shall hang up this receiver.”