“My Lady of Delight’s a dainty, winsome thing; She’s Queen of Summertime, and Princess of the Spring. Her lovely, smiling lips are roses set to rhyme, She has a merry, lilting laugh, like Bluebells all a-chime. The radiance of her smile, the sunshine in her eyes, Is like the Dawn of breaking Day upon the summer skies.
“With roguish glances bright, all on a Summer Day, My Lady of Delight she stole my heart away; And though I humbly beg and plead with her, alack! My Lady of Delight, she will not give it back. I seem to see her now, with tangled golden curl, With dancing eyes, and smiling lips,—My Apple Blossom Girl!
“Oh, Lady of Delight, I pray you, smile on me; Oh, Lady of Delight, your Knight I fain would be; Oh, Lady of Delight, you set my heart aglow. I only know I love you so, Dear Lady of Delight!”

Patty read the verses over twice, with shining eyes.

“I wonder if he wrote them himself,” she mused. “I don’t believe he did; he must have copied them. He knows an awful lot of pretty poetry like that. And yet it doesn’t sound like a real poet’s poetry, either. And he used to call me Apple Blossom,—such a pretty name. Philip would never think of such a thing as that. I wonder if I like Little Billee better than I do Philip. I wonder if he likes me better. But of course he can’t, or he would have written to me in all this time. I haven’t seen him since August, and he never wrote a word, except the stiffest kind of a line with those flowers he sent me. I thought he’d forgotten all about me! But I can’t think so now,—unless he just came across this poem, and it recalled me to his mind. Well, I came awfully near not getting it! I don’t see how Daisy could have been so mean; I don’t like that kind of a joke a bit. But of course she thought it was just a printed card, like hers and Mona’s. Well, she’ll never know it isn’t,—that’s one thing sure!”

And then Patty tucked her card of verses under her pillow and went to sleep.

The next morning, as Patty had prophesied, she slept late. Daisy peeped into her room two or three times before she finally found Patty’s blue eyes open.

“At last!” she said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “I thought you’d never wake up! Patty, what do you think? I’ve been down in the library, and I can’t find that card! I’m awfully sorry, truly I am; I’ll give you mine if you want it.”

“Thank you, Daisy,” and Patty smiled at the recollection of Mona’s similar offer. “Bill’s cards seem to be a drug in the market! But you may keep yours, and also set your mind at rest about mine; for I sneaked downstairs last night in the dark, and fished it out for myself.”

“You did! Oh, Patty, weren’t you frightened to prowl around like that, late at night?”

Patty shook with laughter. “I was frightened,” she said, “when I thought I saw a mouse,—but it wasn’t a mouse, after all.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be afraid of a mouse! But you might have met a,—a burglar or something?”