"
"Patty, it was plain as day on the face of it. Why, it sounded just
like you from start to finish. Of course, if you had been in New
York, I should have tried to suspect somebody else, but when I found
you were staying only about six miles from Maple Bank, I knew it was
you."
"Never mind, some day I'll play a joke on you."
"Thought you didn't approve of them."
"I don't, for other people. But you're so fond of them I feel as if
I ought to do all I can for you."
"All right, joke away, little girl. I don't mind. I say, Poppycheek,
what's this May-day business? An old-fashioned picnic?"
"Not exactly. It's a new-fashioned picnic. But they crown a May-
queen, and all that sort of foolishness." "And who is to be queen?"
"Belle Harcourt."
"MY Belle! Oh, I'm glad of that. And so Princess Poppycheek is going
to be made a queen! Well, so long as you're my Belle, you may be
anybody's queen you like."
"I like an awful lot of people."
"Mostly men."
"No, sir! The men mostly like me. I like mostly girls. Don't you
think Daisy Dow's charming and pretty?"
"Yes, she is a very pretty girl. You're fond of her?"
"I am now. I didn't like her at first, but I think it was because I
didn't understand her.
Pages:
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230