“Oh, oh, they do be all the more aristocratic for that,” comforted Judy. “The countess will be saying to hersilf, ‘There’s fam’ly behind thim. Nothing av the mushroom in thim,’ she’ll be saying. And spaking av the Swallowfield folks, have ye noticed innything odd about yer Uncle Tom’s beard?”

“Yes…it has almost disappeared,” sighed Pat. “It’s nothing more than an imperial now.”

“Whin it disappears altogether we’ll be hearing some news,” said Judy with a mysterious nod.

But Pat had no time just then to be worrying over Uncle Tom’s vanishing whiskers. By Wednesday night Silver Bush was ready for the countess…or for royalty itself. On Thursday Sid took Pat and Cuddles over to the Bay Shore to help Winnie with her spring sewing. They really sewed all the forenoon. In the afternoon Winnie said, “Never mind any more for a while. Come out in the wind and sun. We don’t often have such an afternoon to spend together.”

They prowled about the garden, picking flowers, drinking in the crab-apple blossoms, watching the harbor and making nonsense rhymes. In the midst of their fun they heard the telephone ring in the house.

CHAPTER 12

Pat went in to answer it, as Winnie had her Christmas baby in her arms. When Pat heard Judy’s voice she knew that something tremendous had occurred for Judy never used the telephone if she could help it.

“Patsy dear, is it yersilf? I do be having a word for you. She’s here.”

“Judy! Who? Not the countess?”

“I’m telling ye. But I can’t be ixplaining over the phone. Only come as quick as ye can, darlint. Siddy and yer dad have gone to town.”

“We’ll be right over,” gasped Pat.

But how to get right over? Frank was away with the car. There was nothing for it but the old buggy and the old gray mare. It would take them an hour to get to Silver Bush. And Uncle Brian must be ’phoned to and asked to bring mother right home. Between them Pat and Cuddles got the mare harnessed and after several hundred years…or what seemed like it…they found themselves alighting in the yard of Silver Bush…which looked as quiet and peaceful as usual with Just Dog sleeping on the door-stone and three kittens curled up in a ball on the well platform.

“I suppose the countess is in the Big Parlor,” said Pat. “Let’s slip into the kitchen and find out everything from Judy first.”

“How do you talk to countesses?” gasped Cuddles. “Pat, I think I’ll go and hide in the barn loft.”

“Indeed you won’t! You’re not a Binnie! We’ll see Judy and then we’ll slip upstairs and get some decent clothes on before we beard the lion in her den.”