"Thank you," said Patty, greatly pleased at this sincere praise from one whom she so greatly respected. "It would have been harder still if I hadn't had a good sense of humour. Lots of times when I wanted to cry I laughed instead." "Hurrah for you, Patty girl!" cried her father. "I'd rather you'd have a good sense of humour than a talent for spatter-work!" "Oh, you back number!" exclaimed Patty. "They don't do spatter-work now, daddy." "Well, china painting--or whatever the present fad is." But Mr. Hepworth seemed not to place so high a value on a sense of humour, for he said, gravely: "I congratulate you on your steadfastness of purpose, which is one of the finest traits of your character." "Thank you," said Patty, with dancing eyes. "You give it a nice name. But it is a family trait with us Fairfields, and has usually been called 'stubbornness.'" "Well," supplemented her father, "I'm sure that's just as good a name." CHAPTER XIX CHRISTINE COMES With her usual tact and cleverness, Nan managed the whole matter successfully. She wrote to the friends of Mr. Hepworth in the South who were interested in Miss Farley, and they persuaded the girl to go North for a week and see if she could see her way clear to staying there. As it turned out, Miss Farley had some acquaintances in New York, and when their invitation was added to that of Mrs. Fairfield, she decided to make the trip. Patty and Nan made ready for her with great care and kindness. A guest room was specially prepared for her use, and Patty adorned it with some of her own pet pictures, a few good casts, and certain bits of bric-a-brac that she thought would appeal to an "art student." "If Mr. Hepworth hadn't said the girl had real talent I'd be hopeless of the whole thing," said Nan, "for I do think the most futile sort of young woman is the one who dabbles in Art, with a big A." "Oh, Christine Farley isn't that sort," declared Patty. "I don't believe she wears her hair tumbling down and a Byron collar with a big, black ribbon bow at her throat. I used to see that sort copying in the art galleries in Paris, and they _are_ hopeless. But I imagine Miss Farley is a tidy little thing and her genius is too real for those near-art effects." "Well, then, I'll put this photograph of the Hermes in here in place of this fiddle-de-dee Art Calendar. She'll like it better." "Of course she will. And I'm going to put a pretty kimono and slippers in the wardrobe. Probably she won't have pretty ones, and I know she'll love 'em." "If you owned a white elephant, Patty, you'd get a kimono for it, wouldn't you?" "'Course I would. I love kimonos--pretty ones. And besides, it would fit an elephant better than a Directoire gown would." "Patty! What a goose you are! There, now the room looks lovely! The flowers are just right--not too many and just in the right places." "Yes," agreed Patty; "if she doesn't like this room I wash my hands of her. But she will."