"Very well," said Patty. "And now, Mrs. Van Reypen, I'm sure there's nothing more of interest in the paper; what shall I do next?" "Heavens! Miss Fairfield, don't ask such a question as that! You are here to entertain me. I am not to provide amusement for you! Why do you suppose I have you here, if not to make my time pass pleasantly?" Patty was bewildered at this outburst. Though she knew her duties would be light, she supposed they would be clearly defined, and not left to her own invention. But she was anxious to please, and she said, pleasantly: "I think that's really what I meant, but I didn't express myself very well. And, you see, I don't yet quite know your tastes. Do you like fancy work? I know a lovely new crochet stitch I could show you." "No; I hate crocheting. The wool gets all snarled up, and the pattern gets wrong every few stitches." "Then we'll dismiss that. Do you like to play cards? I know cribbage, and some other games that two can play." "No; I detest cards. I think it is very foolish to sit and fumble with bits of painted pasteboard!" Poor Patty was at her wits' end. She had not expected to be a professional entertainer, and she didn't know what to suggest next. She felt sure Mrs. Van Reypen wouldn't care to listen to any more reading just then. She hesitated to propose music, as it had not been very successful the night before. On a sudden impulse, she said: "Do you like to see dancing? I can do some pretty fancy dances." It seemed an absurd thing to say, but Patty had ransacked her brain to think what professional entertainers did, and that was all she could think of, except recitations, and those she hated herself. "Yes, I do!" cried Mrs. Van Reypen, so emphatically that Patty jumped. "I love to see dancing! If you can do it, which I doubt, I wish you would dance for me. And this evening we'll go to see that new dancer that the town is wild over. If you really can dance, you'll appreciate it as I do. To me dancing is a fine art, and should be considered so--but it rarely is. Do you require music?" "Of course, I prefer it, but I can dance without." "We'll try it without, first; then, if I wish to, I'll ask Delia, my parlour-maid, to play for you. She plays fairly well. Or, if it suits me, I may play myself." Patty made no response to these suggestions, but followed Mrs. Van Reypen to the great drawing-room, at one end of which was a grand piano. "Try it without music, first," was the order, and Patty walked to the other end of the long room, while Mrs. Van Reypen seated herself on a sofa. Serenely conscious of her proficiency in the art, Patty felt no embarrassment, and, swaying gently, as if listening to rhythm, she began a pretty little fancy dance that she had learned some years ago. She danced beautifully, and she loved to dance, so she made a most effective picture, as she pirouetted back and forth, or from side to side of the long room.