"Den dat's all right," said Mancy. "I kin look after you two chilluns, I 'spect, and get my work done, too. When shall I come?" "The house isn't quite ready yet," said Patty; "but I hope to go there to live on New Year's day." "I think we'd be glad of Mancy's help a few days before that," said Aunt Alice. And so, subject to Mr. Fairfield's final sanction, Mancy was engaged. And now Patty's whole establishment, including Pudgy the cat, was made up. CHAPTER VII DIFFERING TASTES A few days before the close of the old year, Patty sat at her desk in the library of Boxley Hall. She was making lists of good things to be ordered for the feast on New Year's day; and, as it was her first unaided experience with such memoranda, she wore an air of great importance and a deeply puckered brow. Mancy, with her arms comfortably akimbo, stood before her young mistress ready to suggest, but tactfully chary of advice. They were not yet living in the new home, but all the furniture was in place, the furnace fire had been started, and the palms arranged in the little conservatory. So Patty spent most of her time there, and some of the Elliotts were usually there with her. But this morning she was alone with Mancy, struggling with the all-important lists. "I'll make the salad myself," she remarked, as she wrote "olive oil" on her slip of paper. "Yas'm," answered Mancy, rolling her eyes with an expression of dubious approval. "Does yo' know how, missy?" "Oh, yes," said Patty confidently; "I can make most beautiful salad dressing. Only it does take quite a long time, and I shall have a lot to do Thursday morning. Perhaps I'd better leave it to you this time, Mancy. Can you make it?" "Laws, yes, honey; and yo'd better leave it to me. Yo'll have enough to do with yo' flowers and fixin's, and dressin' yourself up pretty. I'll 'tend to the food." "Well, all right, Mancy; I wish you would. And, now, just help me with this list. I'll read it to you, and see if you think of anything that I've forgotten." "Yas'm," said Mancy, who was most anxious to help, but who had already learned that Patty was a little inclined to resent unasked advice. They were deep in the fascinating bewilderments of grocers' and greengrocers' wares, when Pansy Potts appeared in the doorway. "Miss Patty," she said, "I've done all the things you told me to do; and I watered the palms, and I've poked around that bunchy rosebush, but I'm 'most sure it's going to die; and now, if you please, when can I be let to fix up my own room?" "Sure enough, Pansy," said Patty; "we must get at that room of yours, and we'll fix it up as pretty as we can." "Mine, too," said Mancy; "I wants my room fixed up nice. I fetched a lot of pictures to liven it up some, but I reckon I ain't got no time to put 'em up to-day." "Oh, yes, you have, Mancy," said Patty, rising; "and, anyway, we'll go right up and look at those rooms; then I can tell what we need to get for them."