“Oh, fiddlesticks, Adele, as if I cared!  I can’t understand why you should think I would care if Mr. Farnsworth were engaged to forty-’leven girls.  It’s nothing to me.”

“Of course I know it isn’t, Patty; but I just wanted to tell you.”

“All right, honey; I’m glad you did.  Now go on downstairs, and I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

Adele ran away and Patty proceeded to don her royal robes.

The coronation gown was of white chiffon, having no decoration save tiny bunches and garlands of flowers.  It was not made in the prevailing fashion, but copied from a quaint old picture and was very becoming to its wearer.

Her golden curls were loosely massed and a few flowers adorned them.

Patty sat a moment in front of her mirror, talking to herself, as she often did.

“Of course Little Billee is engaged,” she said to herself; “he’s too nice a man not to be.  And I hope his Kitty is a lovely, sweet, charming girl.  I don’t think, as an engaged man, he had any business to throw flowers in at my window, but I suppose that was because we’ve always been good friends.  I don’t see how he could tear himself away from the charming Kitty long enough to come East, but he’s always flying across the continent on his business trips.”

Daisy came into Patty’s room then, and the two girls went downstairs together.

The guests had gathered for the garden party, and were dotted over the lawns or grouped on the veranda.

“Thank goodness it’s a warm day,” said Patty, as they went down the stairs.  “Sometimes on May-day we have to go around in fur coats.”

At the foot of the staircase Bill Farnsworth waited to greet Patty.

He came forward with an eager smile and took her two hands in his.

“Little Apple Blossom!” he exclaimed; “Patty Pink-and-White!”

For the life of her, Patty could not be as cordial as she would have been if Adele had not told her what she did.  But though she tried to speak a genuine welcome, she only succeeded in saying, “How do you do, Mr. Farnsworth?” in a cool little voice.

Big Bill looked at her in amazement.

“You gave me a better greeting than that from your window,” he said, in laughing reproach.  “I still have an apple blossom left.  May I give it to you?” and Bill produced a small but perfect spray which he proceeded to pin on the shoulder of Patty’s gown.

“My costume is complete,” said Patty, with a smiling dissent; “it doesn’t need any additional flower.”

“It needs this one to make it perfect,” said Farnsworth, calmly, and indeed the pretty blossom was no detriment to the effect.

“Oh, Phil, how gorgeous you look!” and Patty abruptly turned from Farnsworth to admire Van Reypen’s get-up.

“Me, too!” exclaimed Hal Ferris, stepping up to be admired.  The men’s decorations consisted of garlands draped across their shoulders and tied with huge bows of ribbon.  On their heads they wore classic wreaths which Daisy and Hal had made, and which were really not unbecoming.  The procession formed in the hall, and went out across the lawn to the May Queen’s throne.