But any lack of enthusiasm on the part of Alice was more than made up for by Patricia. She was living on the seventh floor of her seventh heaven. As she saw it, Alice had acted in the friendliest way possible in giving her a clear field with her Sir Launcelot. Allen humored her, finding a real relief in this childish game which his little friend took so seriously. The one drawback was the amount of intimate information which she conveyed through the medium of her innocent prattle. Allen could not know what was coming next, and so was powerless to head off conversation upon subjects into which he knew he had no right to enter, for Patricia possessed the faculty of keeping herself well informed as to family matters. It was through this that he secured the first clew upon which to start a real investigation, so he considered the information Heaven-sent, and blessed the child accordingly. The staircase, as usual, formed the trysting-place. Here Patricia waylaid her Knight on his way down from the library, taking her position on an upper step, which made their difference in height less apparent. The same ceremony was enacted each time in accord with the ritual she had taught him. After he passed her, she suddenly sprang up to her full stature, holding her arm high above her with the palm of her hand extended. "Wit ye well, Sir Knight!" she cried, impressively. Then Allen turned--he was forbidden, under pain of death, to recognize her until he heard these mystic words--knelt on the step below her and kissed her other hand, while the one upraised descended upon his head in benediction. "The Lord be with thee, Fair Lady," he replied, following his lesson. "And with thee--I accept thy troth. Now we can have a visit." The Arthurian lady had vanished, and Patricia was herself again, curled up close beside him. "Look here, Lady Pat," he said, shaking his finger at her warningly, "I think we ought to put a stop to this--you're taking it all too seriously." "Of course," she admitted, smiling up at him. "Why don't we get married right away--then it needn't be serious any longer." "Well"--Allen would not have wounded the devoted little heart for worlds--"one reason is that I haven't money enough." "Did Knights have to have money?" Patricia inquired. "I never saw a suit of armor with a money-pocket in it." "Neither did I," he admitted. "There wasn't any money then, like ours, and when they wanted anything they didn't have, they fought for it." "Well, then, why don't you fight for it?" "I'm going to--I am fighting now. I mean, Lady Pat, they don't let you fight the way they used to." "Is it only because you haven't money enough that we don't marry, Sir Launcelot?" "That is--one of the principal reasons." "Swear that you don't love any other fair lady." "Except Alice," Allen insisted. "Shall you always love her?" Patricia asked, wistfully. Allen sighed. "I'm afraid so, Lady Pat."