Part 20 (2/2)

Patricia could not take it in for a while. She had to question Judith again and again before she could accept this gift from the dark heavens.

”Are you sure?” she asked over and over until Judith became impatient.

”I may be only fourteen and a half and very small for my age,” she said with withering dignity, ”but I surely know what happened just this afternoon. I'm going back to bed now, and you can believe me or not just as you please,” and in spite of Patricia's protest, she stalked away and slammed the door behind her--a very unusual thing for Judith.

Patricia sat by the window in a trance of delight. The future glowed with all its old alluring colors and new ones were s.h.i.+ning out every time she looked ahead. She was to be a singer after all. What did anything else matter?

Suddenly she laughed aloud and jumping up she ran to the mirror and snapped on the light to make a radiant face at the girl in the frame.

”We'll try to put up with being a failure as a martyr, won't we, my dear?” she said breathlessly. ”Oh, how hard we'll try not to grow too pleased with ourselves now! Just remind me about it when I'm getting top-lofty, will you, please? I'm afraid I'll forget to be meek.”

”What's that you're talking about?” asked Constance's voice, and Patricia turned to see her standing smiling in the doorway.

”Oh, oh, you lovely thing!” she cried in instant approval. ”Why, I'd never known you in that heavenly rig.”

”Thanks for the tactful way you pay tribute to my frock,” replied Constance smoothly. ”It is rather nice, so I forgive you on the spot.”

”Nice?” exclaimed Patricia with scorn for the word. ”Nice! It's splendid, gorgeous, _transcendent_. Nice, indeed! Turn around and let me drink you in.”

Constance turned. The dress was of dull gold-colored net with great flowers about its hem wrought into the net with gold thread and the bodice was one great gold flower with trailing net for sleeves. Gold bands held down Constance's dark hair, and the simplicity of the whole made it suitable.

”I think I shall stay here and look at myself,” she said with quaint gravity. ”It's been so long since I've had a real whole dress that I fear it has turned my head. I'll be asking everybody what they think of it if I go down.”

Patricia pushed her out the door. ”They'll tell you without asking,” she promised. ”I wonder what Rosamond will say when she sees you.”

At that Constance came back into the room and closed the door.

”Rosamond won't be here, after all,” she said with a little laugh. ”She sent word to her father to do the polite thing to Madame Milano when she came to sing in Boston, and her father sent a special car down for Rosamond to take Milano up to the Hub. She's on her way now. That's going some, isn't it?”

She evidently wanted to break the news to Patricia before she learned from others, and she seemed surprised at Patricia's easy acceptance of it.

”You're getting to be a wise child,” she said with an approving nod.

”You know that it isn't always the highest flier that gets there the soonest. Keep smiling, my dear, and it won't hurt half so much.”

Patricia did smile, not so much at the slang as at the friendly spirit which prompted it. ”It doesn't hurt at all now,” she answered, truthfully, and then she told Constance of Judith's visit.

Constance was delighted. ”Plucky Judith!” she cried. ”Lucky Miss Pat.

You're about the happiest girl in the world just now, aren't you?”

”Just about,” Patricia confessed.

”I'm not so wretched either,” said Constance with a whirl of her golden draperies. ”I've come out of the woods myself. Auntie is so pleased with my altar-piece that she's giving in at last. I'm to go home next week and I can go to night life or anything else I please. She considers me safe since I could paint that picture. Funny, isn't it, that she couldn't have known me for herself?”

Patricia congratulated her with great sincerity. ”I'll miss you terribly, but I'm glad for your sake,” she said warmly. ”You really need someone to look after you.”

Constance pretended to be indignant. ”After all the mending I've done in your presence, too!” she cried reproachfully. ”I'll not stay to be maligned like that.”

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