"No, thank you, Mr. Blaney," Patty said, after an instant's thought. "I think, if you please, I would rather you would not come in. If I am 'scolded,' I'd rather stand it alone." There were lights in the Farrington house when they arrived. At sound of their steps on the veranda, the door opened, and Roger appeared. "That you, Patty?" he said, pleasantly; "Hello, Blaney, will you come in?" "No, thanks; just brought Miss Fairfield home. She seemed to enjoy her evening." "That's good," returned Roger. "Good night, then, if you won't come in." Roger closed the door, and with his hand still on the knob, whispered to Patty: "You're going to catch it from Phil! But I'll stand by you." Patty's eyes flashed. She resented the idea of Van Reypen's authority, and she was tired and bothered. But Roger's kindly attitude comforted her, and she smiled at him. "Good night, Roger," she said, aloud. "Thank you for waiting up for me. I'm tired, and I'll go straight to my room. The girls have gone up, I suppose." "Wait a moment, Patty," and Van Reypen appeared in the doorway from the sun-parlour, where the two men had been sitting, "wait a moment, I want to speak to you." "Not tonight, Phil, please. I'm very tired." "You ought to be tired! Staying till all hours with that bunch of trash! I'm ashamed of you!" Patty was thoroughly angry. It took a good deal to make good-natured Patty angry, but when her temper was roused, it meant a tempest. Also, she was worn out mentally and physically and, more than all, she resented Philip's assumption of authority. Her blue eyes flashed, and a spot of pink came into each cheek, as she replied: "It is not of the slightest interest to me whether you are ashamed of me or not! You are in no way responsible for my actions and you have no right to reprove or criticise me. I may have broken the conventions of hospitality, but that is between me and Mrs. Farrington. Your opinion of me means nothing to me whatever! Good night, Roger." Patty held out her hand to Roger, who took it for a moment, with a smiling good night, and then, with the air of an offended queen, Patty swept upstairs and entered her own room. There she found Mona and Elise, one asleep on the couch, the other rubbing her eyes as she sat up in a big easy-chair. "Goodness, Patty!" said Mona, looking at the clock, "what _have_ you been up to?" Elise blinked and shook herself awake. "We had to wait up to see you," she said, "so we waited here." "I see you did," returned Patty, lightly. "And now your wait is over, and you've seen me, shall us say good night?" "Not much we won't!" declared Elise, now broad awake. "Tell us everything about it! What did you do there all this time? What did Phil say? Who brought you home? Do you like that crowd? How can you? They bore me to death! Oh, Patty, you're going to cry!"