They knew that Mrs. Homer would make elaborate preparations for the luncheon, but they agreed that there would be no other harm done.  And to them, the fun of seeing the perplexity of Marie and her mother at the non-appearance of their guests, was sufficient reason for their scheme.  Moreover, they fell back on the time-honoured tradition that any joke was justifiable on April Fools’ Day.

In addition to all this, Beatrice did not want to attend the luncheon party, and as by chance it had been left to her to seal up and address the invitations that Marie had written, and as Kit came in while she was doing it, their fertile brains had discovered that, as the dates fell on the same day of the week, the first could easily be changed to the eighth!  And the two sinners chuckled with glee over the fact that another luncheon would have to be prepared the week following.

As it neared one o’clock on the first of April, Kit strolled into the Homers’ apartment.

“Run away, little boy,” said his aunt, gaily; “we’re having a young ladies’ party here to-day, and you’re not invited.”

“Please let me stay a little while, auntie; I’ll run away before your guests arrive.  Mayn’t I help you fix flowers or something?”

“No, you’re more bother than help; now be good, Kit boy, and run away.”

“Auntie,” and Kit put on his most wheedlesome smile, which was always compelling, “if you’ll just let me stay till the first guest comes, I’ll scoot out at once.”

Bee nearly choked at this, for did she not know that the guests wouldn’t arrive for a week yet!

Mrs. Homer was called away to the dining-room then, and the two conspirators indulged in a silent dance of triumph over the success of their scheme.  Not for a moment did it strike them as unkind or mean, because they had been used to practical jokes all their life, and this seemed to them the biggest and best they had ever carried off.

At half-past one Patty appeared.

She had laid her plans most carefully, and everything was going smoothly.

Mrs. Homer and Marie greeted her warmly, and Beatrice and Kit were not much surprised to see her, because she was liable to come any day.  Beatrice looked a little surprised at Patty’s dressed-up appearance, but as no one else appeared, she had no suspicion of what Patty had done.

They all sat in the drawing-room, and the clock ticked away until twenty-five minutes of two, but nobody else arrived.

Mrs. Homer grew restless.  She looked at the clock, and turning to Kit, asked him if the time was right by his watch.

“Yes, auntie,” replied that scapegrace.  “It’s almost twenty minutes of two.  I thought you invited your friends for one-thirty.”

“I did,” and Mrs. Homer looked anxious.  “How strange that no one is here, except Patty!”

Patty said nothing, but the enigmatic smile which she cast on Kit made him feel that perhaps she knew more than she was telling.