there. And, say," she continued, "have you ever been all over the stone
house?"

"Not in every room," said Arabella. "Have you been in the
observatory?"

"The _what_?" asked Arabella.

Patricia was sure that she had made a mistake.

"The room where the flowers are?" she said.

"Oh, the _conservatory_, you mean," Arabella said, grandly. "No, I
haven't been in there, but I've seen the flowers from the doorway, and
they're lovely."

"Well, they're twice as lovely when you're right in the room with them.
I _know_, because I've been in there!" said Patricia.

"_When_?" queried Arabella.

"The last time I was there," Patricia replied, "and _now_ I'll tell you
something; there's something in that room that I know about, and not
another girl knows it but me. I won't tell you what it is now, but at
the party I'll do better than _tell_ you; I'll _show_ you. We'll go out
into the hall when nobody is looking at us, and we'll go into the
what-you-call-it,--"

"The conservatory," prompted Arabella.