CHAPTER IX
MONA AT HOME
When they reached home it was really after dark, and Patty was preparedfor an expected reproof. But Mr. Fairfield came out smilingly to meetthem.
“Accident No. 1?” he asked. “What was it? Power gave out, puncturedtire, or misjudged distance?”
“None of those,” cried Patty, gaily; “but it was a real accident, and areal unavoidable and unforeseeable one!”
“Oh, of course!” chaffed her father; “accidents are always unavoidable,and never the fault of the person driving!”
“I’m glad you’ve learned that,” said Patty, saucily, “for, if you havethat theory firmly fixed in your mind, you have learned the mainprinciple of motor adventures!”
And then the three sat down on the veranda, and Patty and Nan detailedthe whole experience to Mr. Fairfield.
“You were certainly in no way to blame, Patty,” he said, heartily, “for,of course, you’ve had no experience with sand, and had no reason tosuspect that the wheels would sink. But you’ve learned the lesson, andnow that particular trouble is not likely to occur again, for you willremember to stick to the hard roads.”
“But, you see, the particular trouble was really the cow, and, ofcourse, she’s likely to occur again at any time.”
“Then the only remedy that I can suggest is to have a cow-catcher builton the front of your car.”
“No; I’m not going to spoil the perfect lines of my beautiful Camilla byany unsightly device. You see, father, the lines of that car are simplyperfect. I know this, because it says so in the booklet the company gaveme. And it speaks quite highly of the car’s various points, andaccessories, and really goes so far as to state that it is superior toany other car in the market! And the longer I use it, the more fully Iagree with the booklet.”
“I’m glad your long experience justifies the company’s claims. Have younamed the car Camilla?”
“Yes, because she scours the plain; don’t you remember how swift Camillascoured the plain?”
“Yes, I remember, but it seems a more appropriate name for some patentcleaning powder.”
“Nonsense, daddy! Have you no poetry or romance in your soul? SwiftCamilla is a lovely name for my car, and I mean to scour the plain formiles around. Come on, Nan, let’s go and tidy up for dinner. It’sgetting late.”
“It is so,” said her father, “and, though I sha’n’t be too severe withyou this time, I must mildly repeat that I want you hereafter to gethome from your scouring expeditions before dark.”
“Sure!” cried Patty, gaily, blowing him a kiss from the tips of herfingers as she ran away.
* * * * *
The days flew by, and, as the weather was almost always fine, Patty wentscouring with Camilla every day. Sometimes she took Nan, sometimes herfather, and sometimes she went all alone for short drives up and downthe coast. She had no trouble with the car’s mechanism, for it wasreally of superior make, and its management was simple. But oneafternoon, when she asked Nan to go for a little spin, Nan replied: “Iwill later, Patty, but first I think we ought to go and call on MissGalbraith. It is more than a week since she was here, and, in commoncourtesy, we ought to return her call.”
“But I don’t like her, and I don’t want to go to see her,” declaredPatty, a little petulantly.
“Don’t act like an infant! Your not liking her has nothing to do withthe case. We’ve had other calls down here, and we’ve returned themproperly; now this is a social duty that must be attended to, so comealong.”
“Oh, Nan, you go without me! Make excuses for me, can’t you?”
“No, I can’t; and I won’t! So go and put on a pretty frock and comeright along. We needn’t stay long, and we can go for a short motor rideafter.”
So Patty went away to dress, for she realised that she must go, howeverunwillingly. She put on a pretty calling costume of white serge, withblack velvet collar and cuffs, and a large black hat.
“You look lovely,” said Nan, as Patty joined her in the hall.
“Yes, I like this frock,” said Patty, “but I’m sure Miss Galbraithwon’t; you know, her taste runs to more elaborate costumes.”
“Oh, well, you can’t expect to suit everybody! Come along.”
Nan herself was in pale-grey cloth, with hat to match, and the twostrolled along the short distance to “Red Chimneys,” which they hadlearned was the name of the Galbraith home.
They turned in at the entrance gate, and saw a large and massive stonehouse, with many red chimneys. It was a handsome building, butover-ornate in its architecture and decoration.
“Looks exactly like Mona,” said Patty, as they drew near. “It’s just amass of heavy embroidery!”
A footman answered their ring, and, taking their cards on his silvertray, ushered them into a drawing-room, and departed.
There was a rather long interval before Miss Galbraith appeared, andPatty fidgeted. The golden hours of her afternoon were slipping away,and she was impatient to go out with Camilla.
But presently Mona Galbraith came downstairs, and greeted themeffusively. As she had been when they saw her before, she wasoverdressed and over-jewelled. She wore a house dress of blue satin, butso befrilled and bedecked with jabots of lace that it was not onlyunbeautiful, but no way did it resemble the accepted fashion of the day.An expensive and complicated necklace of turquoises surmounted the bluesatin, and large-headed pins of the same blue stone adorned the piled-upmasses of hair.
Patty’s secret impulse was one of regret that a fairly pretty girl couldmake such a dowdy of herself, and she resolved, if ever they becamesufficiently well acquainted, she would try to tone down MissGalbraith’s frantic wardrobe.
“I’m so glad to see you,” their hostess said, “and, if you hadn’t cometo-day, I was going straight over to your house to tell you what Ithought of you! Oh, you naughty people, to keep me waiting so long! Whydidn’t you come sooner?”
“Oh there’s been much to do,” said Nan, “fitting ourselves into our newhome; and, too, I think we’re fairly prompt returning your call.”
“Oh, we mustn’t make calls and return calls; that’s too formal. We’reneighbours, you know, and we must just run in and out without ceremony.Don’t you think so, Miss Fairfield? Or, mayn’t I call you Patty? Pleaselet me.”
Patty was good-natured and kind-hearted, but she began to think thatMiss Galbraith’s unwelcomed familiarity must be checked.
“Isn’t it a little soon for first names, Miss Galbraith?” she asked,with a merry smile that took the rudeness from her question. “I like towin my friendships by degrees, and not jump into them suddenly.”
But Miss Galbraith was not so easily baffled. “Oh, are you like that?”she said. “Now I’m just the opposite! I know at once if I like anybody,and I do like you, and so I’m going to call you Patty. Of course, ifyou’re so cautious about making friends, you’ll have to adopt me moreslowly. But I’ll warrant it won’t be long before you’ll call me Mona inspite of yourself. And you, too, Mrs. Fairfield,” she added, turning toNan.
Patty gasped, for she almost thought the forward girl was going to callNan by her first name, but Mona did not go quite so far as that.
“You have a beautiful home here,” said Nan, in order to change thesubject. “Have you lived here long?”
“This is the fourth summer,” said Mona; “my father built it, and he saidhe didn’t care what it cost, if only it was the most expensive house atSpring Beach.”
“I fancy he achieved his desire,” said Nan, politely.
“Oh, yes, indeed! There’s no other house been put up yet that costnearly as much, and I don’t believe there will be.”
“Probably not,” said Patty. “But it seems large for only two of you.”
“Yes, but we have a great many servants; and, then, we like to havecompany. We invite a great deal of company, though they don’t alwayscome. It’
s strange how few people enjoy the seashore.”
Patty privately thought that there might be other reasons for theguests’ refusals than a dislike for the seashore, but she only said,“Yes, I like to have company, too; but I’m never lonely, even if I’mentirely alone.”
“Yes, I can see that’s your disposition,—sunshiny and sweet always. Oh,I’m so glad you’ve come to Spring Beach! I’ve wanted just such afriend.”
As Patty said afterward, she felt herself being drawn into a net, fromwhich there seemed to be no escape. But she determined to make one moreeffort.
“I don’t want to seem ungrateful,” she said, “but, to tell the truth,I’m not very sociable.” Then, like a flash, she realised that this wasnot true, and endeavoured to amend it. “I mean,” she went on, “in thesummer time, when I’m away from home. That is,—don’t you know,—I thinkone likes a sort of vacation from society during the summer; don’t you?”
“Oh, yes! But, of course, the social doings down here are not like thosein the city. I’m not much in society down here, myself; so we can havereal good times with each other, and give society the go-by.”
Patty gave up in despair. She couldn’t make this girl understand thatshe did not desire her intimate friendship, without being positivelyrude; and, though of an independent nature, Patty was always unwillingto hurt the feelings of others.
But very soon Nan rose to take leave, and the call was over.
“What can I do?” exclaimed Patty, as they were safely out of hearingdistance of “Red Chimneys.” “That girl is the limit! She’ll be over toour house all the time, if I don’t do something to stop her!”
“Oh, don’t take it too seriously!” advised Nan. “Sometimes thesetroubles that loom up so darkly fade away of themselves.”
“She won’t fade away,” declared Patty; “Mona is no fader! But some day Ishall take her out in my motor car, way, way out beyond civilisation,and come back without her!”
“That’s a splendid plan!” said Nan, approvingly; “practical, sensible,and easily carried out!”
“Yes, isn’t it,” said Patty, grinning. And then they were at “ThePebbles” again, and were soon arrayed in their motor toggery, andstarting away in the Swift Camilla.
“Which way?” asked Patty, as she grasped the steering bar.
“Straight along the coast,” answered Nan; “the ocean is so beautifulto-day, I don’t want to get out of sight of it.”
“All right, here we go;” and Patty headed the car south along the line,continuous shore drive.
“Nan,” she observed, as they flew along, “do you happen to know of anyremarkable, important, and very-much-to-be-celebrated day that is goingto occur soon?”
“Day?” repeated Nan, looking blank,—so exceedingly blank that it seemedan assumed expression.
“Yes, day! _A_ day,—_one_ day,—an _especial_ day! Do try to think. Itmay occur next week!”
“Let me see,” said Nan, in a deeply thoughtful tone, “this is May,—soyou can’t mean Washington’s Birthday or Lincoln’s Birthday.”
“No! nor Christmas Day, nor St. Patrick’s Day in the Morning! But, allthe same, it’s one of the most important dates in the annals of Time,and I’ll give you one more chance to save your reputation by guessingwhat it is, before I tell you.”
“Well, of course I have no idea when it occurs, but, if I’m merelyguessing, I’ll guess that you refer to Mona Galbraith’s birthday.”
“Oh, Nan! you are too exasperating! Another speech like that and I’llput you out of this car and let you walk home! Now the occasion to whichI refer, and which you know well enough, only you think it’s roguish topretend you don’t, is the birthday of one Miss Patricia Fairfield! aclever and charming young girl, who will on that day achieve the dignityof being nineteen years old!”
“Why, sure enough, it _will_ be your birthday soon, won’t it?” exclaimedNan, in affected surprise, which by no means deceived Patty.
“Yes, and what are you going to do about it?”
“Well, you ask me so suddenly, I scarce know what to say! What do youwant done?”
“Well, you ask me suddenly, too, but I know exactly what to say! I wanta celebration of the event.”
“Oh, you do! brass band, and torch-light parade?”
“Not exactly that, but something just as good. I want ahouse-party,—quite a large one,—to come the day before the birthday,and stay several days after, and celebrate all the time.”
“You’re so modest in your demands, Patty! Why don’t you have somethingreally worth while?”
“Don’t be sarcastic, Nan; you’re too pretty to say such things! Now takea deep interest in my plans, won’t you, and help me decide things?”
“All right, Patty, I will, indeed. But I thought you didn’t want companydown here, especially the boys, because you wanted to enjoy yourscouring the plain, all alone.”
“Well, I did feel that way for a time, but I’m getting over it. Anyway,I want to try having company, and, if I don’t like it, I’ll try solitudeagain. Now you see, Nan, my birthday is next week, Thursday. I’d like toask the people to come Wednesday, and then stay over the weekend.”
“All right, Patty, I’ll do all I can to make it pleasant for you. But,you know, we have only four guest rooms. How big did you mean your houseparty to be?”
“Well, of course the two Farringtons and Christine and Kenneth would beabout all we could accommodate. Then I thought, if Mr. Hepworth and Mr.Van Reypen cared to come, they could stay at the hotel.”
“It doesn’t seem very hospitable to invite them that way,” said Nan,demurring.
“Then they’ll have to stay home,” said Patty, cheerfully, “for, as yousay, we have only the four rooms to give them. I thought our house waslarge, but it doesn’t seem so when you begin to invite guests.”
“Well, we’ll see about it,” said Nan.