"What! I did nothing of the sort! Why, Elise, I wouldn't do such a thing! I love that kiddy! I wouldn't give her a morsel to eat or drink. I know how careful Nurse and Patty are about that! You must be crazy to think I'd give Baby anything!"
Azalea's honesty was unmistakable, Elise couldn't doubt she was speaking the truth. She began to think Nurse Winnie had imagined the soothing syrup.
The two girls went home, and Elise said no word to any one of Azalea's strange disappearance for a time.
They found Patty in a state of great excitement and interest over a new project.
Betty Gale was there and the two heads were together over a list they were making and they were chattering like a couple of magpies.
"Oh, Elise," Patty cried out, "we're getting up the grandest thing! It's going to be here,--for the benefit of the Summer Fund, and it's going to be Vanity Fair!"
"Just what it says! It's a big bazaar,--of course,--and we're going to call it Vanity Fair and sell only gay, dainty, dinky little contraptions, and have all sorts of pretty booths and fancy dances and flower stands, and--oh, everything that Vanity Fair suggests."
"Fine!" approved Elise. "Great name! Who thought of it? You, Betty? I'm for it,--heart and soul! How about you, Azalea?"
The Western girl stood silent. This was the sort of thing that was outside her ken. Though she had been at Wistaria Porch for some weeks now, and had become fairly conversant with the ways of Patty and her friends, this kind of a gay project was to her an unknown field.
"It must be beautiful,--to know about things like that,"--she said, at last, so wistfully, that Patty put out a hand and drew Azalea to her side.
It was this sort of a speech that made Patty feel that she was making headway in her efforts to improve the girl, and she rejoiced to have her show a desire to join in the new project.
"You can help us lots, I'm sure, Zaly," she said, kindly, "and you'll have a chance to learn about it all. There's heaps of fun in a Fair, especially when it's all novel to you. It's an old story to us, but _I_ always love anything of the sort. We'll have it here, you see, and it will be a lawn _fête_ and a house party and a general hullabaloo!"
"We're making out the committees," said Betty, "and, you'll be here, won't you, Elise?"