Miss Pat at Artemis Lodge | Page 4

"Marian says Hiram has too much brains to look like a
scarecrow for ignorant people to look down on, so she's making him fit,
merely to enlighten them as to his merit."
Patricia was silenced, though not yet convinced. She turned to the
subject of Margaret Howes with eager interest, asking all sorts of
questions as to her progress in painting and her appearance and her life
of the past year, to none of which Bruce would answer a word, even
though urged by Elinor.
"Wait and find out for yourselves," he said teasingly. "It would take off
the bloom if I recounted all."
Elinor rose to lead the way to the rooms where they would dress. "I
don't believe he knows a single thing," she said emphatically.
"Margaret isn't a chatterbox and it was too bitterly cold on the streets
today for any lengthy confidences. Come along and get into your
festive togs--we don't want to miss a single minute, and dinner is very
early tonight."
As Patricia followed the others out she bent gratefully over Bruce's
chair. Her large gray eyes were shining in the rosy firelight and her face
was sweetly serious.

"You're awfully good to me, Bruce," she said in a low tone. "I don't
deserve it one scrap--but I'll try all the harder to be worth while some
day."
Bruce looked up with his nicest smile and laid his strong hand over
hers on his chair-arm.
"You're very much worth while now--to me, Patsy dear," he said with
genuine affection. "I'm not looking ahead to those future days. Who
knows whether the success, when it comes, will make you nearer to us,
or will take you far away----"
She broke in eagerly with her hand pressed on her quickly beating heart.
"Oh, Bruce," she said with a little tinge of fear in her tone. "I'm
sometimes so afraid of that--losing you all in the work and hurry that is
coming to me. But you'll help me, won't you? You'll keep me
remembering how much we've always despised conceited, stuck-up
people? I may be a failure after all, but if I'm not, if I'm the tiniest bit of
a success and you see me getting selfish and horrid, you'll try to remind
me, won't you?"
Bruce smiled reassuringly up at her flushed face. "Rely on me to
puncture your balloon if it's needed, Miss Pat," he said in a tone that
was very comforting, and, as she dropped a light kiss on his dark,
waving hair, he added more soberly, "It's a mighty hard thing for a
singer to be unselfish and generous, I warn you, my dear. It's going to
be a struggle sometimes, though I don't doubt for an instant that you'll
win out with flying colors."
Patricia's gayety was surging back in a happy flood, and she
straightened up with a little rippling laugh, casting all her shadowy
fears behind her.
"Just you wait till I sing my first concert, Mr. Bruce Hayden," she
challenged, "and then tell me I'm a conceited goose, if you dare. I
wagger as Hannah Ann says, I'll be the same stupid, silly thing I am
now." And nodding brightly at him, she danced after the others,
humming a gay little tune as she went.

CHAPTER II
BRUCE'S SURPRISE PARTY
Although Patricia would have been very well entertained with a quiet
tea all to themselves in the studio, since there was so much to be talked
over, so many plans to be made and such hopes to be indulged in,
nevertheless she was obliged to confess that she had never had a jollier
time in her life than at the dinner that night.
While they were dressing, the table was laid and some tall palms placed
in the corners of the room just where they made the best effect, and
when they came into the studio again the whole scene was of the most
restive sort. Flowers on the tables and candles twinkling everywhere,
the tapestries and screens of the shadowy backgrounds, the gleam of
copper and brass, all mingled in a delightful whole which would have
been hard to equal by any hotel, however well appointed.
Judith gave an exclamation of pleasure as she stood on the threshold.
"Why, it's the very nicest place in the world to celebrate in!" she said
warmly. "You ought to be an awfully great singer, Miss Pat, when
you're starting off with such lovely doings."
Patricia screwed up her face into a mocking protest and had opened her
lips, when the sound of the elevator made them start eagerly to the
door.
Margaret Howes knocked before they could fling it open, but they had
her inside and were hugging her and shaking hands recklessly ere
Bruce could hurry out to see who had