Elizabeth woke just at seven, and rising, glanced as usual at the watch on the dressing-table. "Nine o'clock!" she almost screamed, running to her sister's door. "Barbara! what does this mean? It's nine o'clock! Are you asleep?" Barbara _was_ asleep, but she awoke at her sister's call and drew her watch from beneath the pillow. "It is," she cried, "it's nine o'clock! What shall I do? There's a rehearsal of the Historical Tableaux at ten, and I have to make three wigs before I go." "But even that isn't as important as my engagement," wailed Elizabeth, who was splashing her face with water. "I have to be at the Authors' Club at nine-thirty, to prepare the room for the reception at eleven, and nothing can be done until I get there. And I must do several errands on my way there. Oh, it _can't_ be nine o'clock. Perhaps my watch stopped at nine last evening. No--it's going. Oh, how unfortunate I am. Mother, mother," she called. But Mrs. Fleming was already up, and came through the hall with a scared face. "Girls," she said, "it's after nine o'clock, and Tom has to go away on the 9:45 train. We have overslept ourselves." "I should think we had," began Elizabeth, but Mrs. Fleming had already gone to her son's room. "Tom, Tom," she called, as she knocked vigorously at the door, "get up, it's after nine o'clock!" "What!" came from Tom's room, accompanied by a sudden jump out onto the floor. Ruth had heard the commotion, and she and Patty each appeared at their doors. "What is it, Aunt Hester?" asked Ruth, roused at last, Patty was glad to see, to some degree of animation. "Why, Ruthy, it's nine o'clock! We have all overslept. Hurry down-stairs, children, you'll be late to school." Well, such a commotion as there was; everybody compared watches and clocks, and exclaimed in wonderment and dismay. Tom said that his watch said it was only half-past seven, but of course, as he had said it didn't keep perfect time, it was not believed, when all the others said half-past nine. After they were all down-stairs and seated at the breakfast table, Patty remarked quietly, "April Fool! It isn't half-past nine at all; it's only half-past seven. I set all the clocks forward two hours." "What!" said Cousin Elizabeth, looking as if she would annihilate her. "You little witch! You dared to--" and then she felt such a relief to think she would have ample time to keep her engagement after all, that the ridiculous side of the affair struck her, and she began to laugh. "Why, Patty Fairfield," said Barbara, and then she too laughed; and Cousin Tom, when he found he could catch his train, thought it all the best joke in the world. Bridget and Molly enjoyed it the most of all, perhaps because, being Irish, they had a greater sense of humor than the Bostonians, but all agreed that Patty had played a very successful April Fool joke on them. All except Ruth,--she didn't see any fun in it at all, so Patty gave her up as a hopeless case. CHAPTER XI