They all sat in the drawing-room, and the clock ticked away until twenty-five minutes of two, but nobody else arrived.
Mrs. Homer grew restless. She looked at the clock, and turning to Kit, asked him if the time was right by his watch.
"Yes, auntie," replied that scapegrace. "It's almost twenty minutes of two. I thought you invited your friends for one-thirty."
"I did," and Mrs. Homer looked anxious. "How strange that no one is here, except Patty!"
Patty said nothing, but the enigmatic smile which she cast on Kit made him feel that perhaps she knew more than she was telling.
"Do run away, Kit," urged his aunt. "I should think you'd be ashamed to come to a party where you're not invited."
"Perhaps I shall be invited if I wait long enough," and Kit threw a meaning glance at Beatrice. "If your guests don't come, auntie, you'll be glad to have me to help eat up your goodies."
"Not come! Of course they'll come!" cried Mrs. Homer, and Marie turned pale with dismay.
"Well, it seems to me," went on Kit, "that it would be a jolly good April Fool joke on you all, if they didn't come. And"—he rolled his eyes toward the ceiling,—"something tells me that they won't."
"What!" And Marie jumped up, her eyes blazing. Kit's roguish chuckle and Bee's elfin grin made Marie suddenly realise there was something in the air.