CHAPTER XII
A MOONLIGHT RIDE
Patty seemed a little quiet as she and Roger drove to the station, forshe was thinking how foolish Elise was, and what a lot of trouble shecould stir up, if she chose to indulge in that stupid jealousy ofChristine. If Christine had been more able to resent it, and take herown part, it would not have been so bad, but she was so sensitive to theslightest coldness, and so afraid of seeming to impose on Patty’sfriendship, that it made the situation a little difficult.
But Roger’s gay banter revived Patty’s drooping spirits, and, when theyreached the station, they were in a gale of laughter over some jokingnonsense.
The train soon arrived, and they saw Christine and Mr. Hepworth stepdown on to the station platform.
Roger met them, and conducted them to Patty. Then there were morecompliments and congratulations on the new car, and soon Christine wastucked in beside Patty, and the two men waved them farewell.
“How are you, Christine?” asked Patty, looking anxiously at the girl’spale cheeks.
“Oh, I’m all right. A little tired, but a day or two down here will setme up wonderfully, I know.”
“A day or two! You must stay a week, at least.”
“No, I can’t possibly, Patty. My work is very important just now, and Imust go back day after to-morrow.”
“We’ll see about that;” and Patty wagged her head, positively. “And lookhere, Christine, while I have you by yourself, I want to tell yousomething. Elise Farrington is here, you know, and she has a sillynotion of some sort that makes her resent my friendship for you. Now Iwant to ask you, as a special favour to me, not to pay any attention toher foolishness. If she snubs you right out, I’ll attend to her casemyself; but, if she just flings little bits of hateful allusions at you,don’t mind them, will you, dear?”
“I can’t help it, Patty. Unkind speeches shrivel me all up somehow; Ijust can’t stand them!”
“Well, stand them for my sake, please. You know _I_ can’t help it, and,if I had thought you wouldn’t have a good time, I wouldn’t have askedyou here when Elise is here. But, you see, it’s my birthday house party,and I want all of my dearest friends with me.”
“And you count me among them? Oh, Patty, how good you are to me! Truly,I will try not to be foolishly sensitive, and I promise not to noticeanything Elise may do or say, if I can possibly help it.”
“That’s a good girl,” said Patty, giving Christine’s arm a littlesqueeze. “But isn’t it funny, Christine, that I have these little pettytroubles among my girl friends, and never among my boy friends. The boysare all so nice to me, and they never get jealous of each other oranything silly like that. But you see this place we’re just passing?It’s called ‘Red Chimneys,’ and I have a girl friend in there,—atleast, she’s an acquaintance,—who makes me a lot of trouble, too.”
“I don’t make you trouble, Patty, do I?”
“Well, of course, it’s mostly Elise’s fault, but, if you’ll just ignoreit, and stand up for your own rights, you can help me a whole lot.”
“I will, Patty; indeed, I will!” said Christine, earnestly, and thenthey arrived at “The Pebbles.”
Dinner that night was a gay and jolly feast. It was the eve of thebirthday, and the house party had already assumed an air of festivity.
Mr. Van Reypen and Kenneth Harper had come down later than the others,and Philip Van Reypen had established himself at the hotel where Mr.Hepworth was, while Kenneth was a house guest at “The Pebbles.”
But the men from the hotel came over to dinner, and announced theirintention of staying as late as they would be allowed.
Also, to Patty’s dismay, Mona Galbraith had come over just beforedinner, and, as she was still there when dinner was announced, Nan feltherself really obliged to ask the girl to dine with them.
Patty didn’t like it at all, but there was no help for it, and so Monastayed. She looked very pretty that night, and was not quite sooverdressed as usual. Moreover, she made herself bright andentertaining, without showing any of her less desirable traits ofcharacter.
Seated between Roger and Mr. Van Reypen, she ingratiated herself withboth, and, when Patty saw that the boys seemed to like Mona, she feltrather glad she was there.
After dinner they all drifted out to the verandas, and, as it was amoonlight night and high breakers were dashing in on the beach, therewas the usual chorus of admiration for the glories of the seashore.
There was much gay chatter and laughter, there was some desultorysinging of songs, and at last Elise jumped up, saying: “I just can’tstand it any longer! I simply _must_ go down to the beach! Will anybodygo with me?”
“I will,” said Kenneth, gallantly. “I was just thinking about thatmyself. Anybody else want to go?”
“I want to go,” said Christine, a little timidly, and Patty looked up insurprise, at the idea of Christine wanting to go with Elise anywhere.
But Christine was longing to get down to the water, and see the oceannearer by, for it was about two blocks from “The Pebbles,” though nobuildings intervened.
“Mayn’t I go with you, Christine?” said Mr. Hepworth; and, with a glanceof gratitude, Christine said, “Yes, indeed.”
“Come on, then,” sung out Kenneth. “All ashore that’s going! Let’s allgo.”
But Roger said that the ocean must wait for him until next day, for hewas going over to “Red Chimneys” with Miss Galbraith, just then.
“What for?” asked Patty, in amazement.
“He wants to see father’s birds,” explained Mona. “You know, my fatherhas a really wonderful collection of stuffed birds,—and he’ll bedelighted to show them to Mr. Farrington, who says he is interested inthem.”
“All right,” said Patty; “run along, you two. But don’t stay late,Roger; we keep early hours down here.”
“All right, Patty, I won’t;” and Roger walked away with Miss Galbraith,while Patty looked after them with a puzzled glance.
The four who wanted to walk to the beach had already started, leavingthe two senior Fairfields and Patty and Mr. Van Reypen on the veranda.
“It’s perfectly heavenly to get away from the city, and down to thisbeautiful, quiet, peaceful spot,” said Philip Van Reypen, as he seatedhimself on the veranda railing, and leaned against a pillar.
“Is your life in the city so full of strife that you welcome peace?”asked Patty, smiling.
“Oh, the city itself is full of strife,” returned Van Reypen; “isn’t it,Mr. Fairfield?”
“Yes; compared to the seashore, it certainly is. This expanse of blueocean is much more peaceful and calm than a scene in Wall Street, forinstance.”
“Yes, that’s what I mean; and to get down here and just bask in thecalmness and peace is a great delight to me. It was awfully good of youpeople to ask me.”
“We like to have you here,” said Nan, smiling at the young man’s frankand heartfelt gratitude.
“And I think it’s good of you to come,” said Patty; “for you must havelots of invitations to grander houses than this.”
“My child,” said Philip Van Reypen, looking at her, gravely, “it is notthe grandeur of a house that attracts me; it’s the grandeur of thepeople. And I think you people are just grand! But, tell me, how do youlike the motor car which you won by such strenuous exertion?”
“Which you helped me to win,” said Patty. “I never could have won itwithout your help. And to think you haven’t seen it! Come out to thegarage now, and take a look at it. I’ve never seen it by moonlightmyself; and I know it must look lovely.”
Catching up a light wrap, Patty flung it around her, and, with Mr. VanReypen, walked around the house to the garage. The full moon was so verybright that, when the young man opened the big doors, Patty’s car showedas clearly and plainly as if it had been daylight.
“Isn’t she a beauty!” said Patty, in a voice almost awestruck, for themoonlight touched up the car with a sort
of magic lustre never seen byday.
“She sure is!” declared young Van Reypen, with emphasis. “Wow! whatperfection of detail, and what beautiful finish! Can you run it?”
“Can I run it? Well, rather! Why, I’ve run it hundreds of miles sinceI’ve had it!”
“Let’s get her out now, and just circle the drive once.”
“Oh, it’s too late now! I’ll take you out in it to-morrow.”
“Nonsense! it’s only about ten o’clock, and it’s as light as noonday.Come on, let’s do it.”
“All right, I don’t mind. But just around the drive; we won’t go out ofthe gate.”
“All right, then; hop in. Let me drive.”
“But I want to show off my driving.”
“Oh, wait until to-morrow for that, Miss Vanity. I know you drivebeautifully, but I want to see how this thing works, myself. You know Iguessed some few of those puzzles.”
“Yes, I know you did. All right, then, you drive.”
Philip assisted Patty in, and then took his own place and grasped thesteering-bar and the controller.
“My, but she is a daisy! All the modern kinks in the way of mechanism!”
They circled the driveway twice, and, when passing the veranda, Pattyturned to wave her hand to her father and Nan, she discovered they werenot there. “Why, they must have gone in!” she said, in surprise.
“Perhaps they went down to the beach,” suggested Van Reypen. “Let’s goand see.”
They were near the gateway then, and, before Patty knew it, Philip hadswung the car through, and they were spinning along the shore road.
The top of the car was down, and they had an unobstructed view of seaand shore. The night was still, save for the pounding of the surf, andthe crested billows frothed and dashed on the white sand. The moontouched everything with its magic, and the sea, the beach, and theinland were alike shining with a silver glory. The smooth, hard roadstretched ahead of them like a white ribbon, and it was small wonderthat Philip Van Reypen did not stifle the impulse to send the carspinning ahead.
“Oh!” breathed Patty, entranced by the wonderful beauty of the night,and the exhilaration of that swift, soundless, gliding motion throughit.
“Isn’t it great!” whispered Philip. “Did you _ever_ know anything likeit?”
“No, I _never_ did! It’s like being in some enchanted place! I’ve neverbefore been out at night.”
“And there never was such a night as this! Are you afraid?”
“Oh, no, not a bit! I know my car too well, and I know you are notdriving recklessly, though we are going pretty fast.”
Philip slowed down his speed a little, and they went steadily on.
“We oughtn’t to be doing this,” said Patty, laughing like a gleefulchild.
“Why not?” asked her companion, in an aggrieved tone.
“Oh, lots of reasons! For one thing, I’m a hostess.”
“Yes, but you haven’t any guests. They’ve all scooted off by themselvesin different directions; even your father and mother deserted theveranda, so I’m the only guest you have for the moment, and, I assureyou, I’m being very pleasantly entertained.”
“So am I,” said Patty, demurely. “But somehow I have an uneasy feelingthat I’ll catch a scolding for this! I’m not accustomed to going outwith a young man late at night.”
“Oh, well, I’m not very young, and it isn’t very late, so don’t botherabout that. And anyway, if you’re going to catch a scolding, you may aswell have the fun first. And it _is_ fun, isn’t it?”
“Oh, it’s gorgeous fun! I never enjoyed anything more! But we mustn’t goany further. We’re about three miles beyond Spring Beach now.”
Sure enough, they had gone beyond all signs of habitation, and were on along, straight stretch of road, with the ocean on one side and pinewoods on the other. It was weirdly beautiful,—the dark shadows of thepines, darker than ever by contrast with the moonlighted spaces. Therewas no boardwalk here, and the sea dashed almost up to the road theywere on.
“All right,” said Philip, in answer to Patty’s suggestion, “we will turnaround in a minute. We’ll just go to that next clump of pines, and thenwe’ll turn back.”
He lowered the speed, and they crawled slowly along toward the trees hehad indicated.
“It’s perfect,” sighed Patty, drinking in the beauty all around her.“I’m glad you helped me guess those questions, or I never should havehad this experience. Except for one moonlight night in Venice, I’venever seen anything so lovely.”
“Then you’re glad I brought you, if it _was_ a case of kidnapping?”
“Yes,” said Patty, while a demure smile dimpled at the corners of hermouth. “I think I like being kidnapped. Are you going to hold me forransom?”
“I’d like to, but nobody could offer a ransom big enough to get youback!”
“Now _that’s_ a pretty speech;” and Patty nodded her head approvingly.“So, as there’s no ransom to be considered, please take me back to myfond parents, for I have no doubt they’re scared to death wonderingwhere I am.”