The interruption gave Patsy an opportunity to stop playing the tune. She
swung around on the stool and looked with amusement at her newly
awakened uncle.

"You've been asleep," she said.

"No, indeed; quite a mistake," replied the little man, seriously. "I've
only been thinking."

"An' such _beaut_chiful thoughts," observed the Major, testily, for he
resented the interruption of his Sunday afternoon treat. "You thought
'em aloud, sir, and the sound of it was a bad imithation of a bullfrog
in a marsh. You'll have to give up eating the salad, sir."

"Bah! don't I know?" asked Uncle John, indignantly.

"Well, if your knowledge is better than our hearing, I suppose you do,"
retorted the Major. "But to an ignorant individual like meself the
impression conveyed was that you snored like a man that has forgotten
his manners an' gone to sleep in the prisence of a lady."

"Then no one has a better right to do that," declared Patsy, soothingly;
"and I'm sure our dear Uncle John's thoughts were just the most
beautiful dreams in the world. Tell us of them, sir, and we'll prove the
Major utterly wrong."

Even her father smiled at the girl's diplomacy, and Uncle John, who was
on the verge of unreasonable anger, beamed upon her gratefully.

"I'm going to Europe," he said.