CHAPTER XII
A TEA CLUB TEA
Patty rebelled at being overruled in this manner, but Marian had someFairfield firmness of her own, and taking her cousin's arm led her to thelibrary and plumped her down upon the couch in a reclining position,while she vigorously jammed pillows under her head.
"There, miss," she announced, "you will please stay there until luncheonis announced."
"But, Marian," pleaded Patty, seeing that resistance was useless, "I'vesuch a lot of things to do, and the girls will be here before I get themall done."
"Let them come," said the hard-hearted Marian, "it won't hurt them a bit,and you've got enough things done now to feed the Russian army."
"But they're not finished," said Patty, "and they'll spoil standing."
"You'll more likely spoil them by finishing them. Now you stay rightwhere you are."
So Patty rested, until Pansy came and called them to a most appetisinglittle lunch spread very simply on the dining-table.
The two hungry girls did full justice to it, and then Patty said:
"Now, Marian, you're a duck, and you mean well, I know; but this is myhouse and my tea-party, and now you must clear out and leave me to fix itup pretty in my own way."
"All right," said Marian, "I rescued you once, now this time I'llleave you to your fate; but I'll give you fair warning that those TeaClub girls would rather have a few nice little things like we had atlunch, than all those ridiculous contraptions that you've got outthere half baked."
"Oh me, oh me!" sighed Patty, in mock despair. "Nobody appreciates me;nobody realises or cares for my one great talent. I believe I'll go anddrown myself."
"Do," said Marian, "drown yourself in that tub of wine-jelly, for itwill never stiffen. I can tell that by looking at it."
"Bye, bye," said Patty, pushing Marian out of the dining-room, "run alongnow, and take a little nap like a good little girl. Cousin Patty must setthe table all nice for the pretty ladies."
"Goose!" was the only comment Marian vouchsafed as she walked away.
Then Patty, with the assistance of Pansy Potts, proceeded to lay thetable. Elaborate decoration was her keynote and she kept well in tune.Along the centre of the table over the damask cloth, she spread a richlace "runner" and over this, crossed bands of wide, pink, satin ribbonran the entire diagonal length of the table. In the centre was a largecut-glass bowl of pink roses, and at each corner slender vases of asingle rose in each. Also single roses with long stems and leaves werelaid at intervals on the cloth. Asparagus fern was lavishly used, andpink-shaded candles in silver candlesticks adorned the table. Smallsilver dishes of almonds, olives, and confectionery were dotted about,and finger-bowls with plates were set out on the side-table.
Certainly it was all very beautiful, and Patty surveyed it with feelingsof absolute satisfaction.
"We will have tea at five o'clock, Pansy," she said, "and just beforethat, you light the candles and fill the glasses and see that everythingis ready."
"Yes, Miss Patty," said Pansy, who adored her young mistress, and who wasespecially quick in learning to do exactly what was expected of her.
The afternoon was slipping away, and Patty suddenly discovered that shehad only time to get dressed before the girls would arrive.
So she announced to Mancy that she must finish up such things as were notfinished, and without waiting to hear the old woman's remarks ofdisapproval, Patty ran up to her room.
There she found that Marian had kindly laid out her dress and ribbons forher, and was ready to help do her hair.
"You're a good old thing, Marian," she said, as she dropped into a chairin front of her toilet mirror, "I'm as tired as a bicycle wheel, andbesides, I do love to have somebody do my hair. Sometimes Pansy does it,but to-day she's too busy."
"Taking days as they go," said Marian in an impersonal manner, "I don'tthink I ever saw a more busy one than to-day has seemed to be. The TeaClub does seem to make a most awful amount of fluster in a new house."
"Yes, it _is_ exacting, isn't it?" said Patty, who caught her cousin'seye in the mirror and looked very demure, though she refused to smile.
"There are some of the girls coming in at the front gate now," saidMarian as she tied the big white bow on Patty's pretty, fluffy hair."Didn't I time this performance just right?"
"You did indeed," said Patty, and kissing her cousin, she ran gailydownstairs.
How the Tea Club girls did chatter that afternoon! there was so much tosee and talk about in Patty's new home, and there were also other weightymatters to be discussed.
The proposed entertainment was an engrossing subject, and as variousopinions were held, the arguments were lively and outspoken.
"You can talk all you like," said Helen Preston, "but you'll find that abazaar will be the most sensible thing after all. You're sure to make alot of money, and the boys will help, and we all know exactly what to doand how to go about it."
"It may be sensible," said Laura Russell, "but it won't be a bit of fun.Stupid, poky, old chestnut; nobody wants to come to buy things, they onlycome because they think they have to. Now if we had a play--"
"Yes," said Elsie Morris, "a play would be the very nicest thing. I'vebrought two books for us to look over. One's that Shakespeare thing, andthe other is called 'A Reunion at Mother Goose's.' It's awfully funny; Ithink it's better than the Shakespeare."
"I think Mother Goose things are silly," said Ethel Holmes. "Who wants togo around dressed up like Little Bo-peep, and say 'Ba, ba, black sheep,'all the time?"
"Yes, or who wants to be Red Riding Hood's wolf and eat up Mary'slittle lamb?"
"Oh, it isn't like that; it's a reunion, you know, and all the MotherGoose children are grown up, and they talk about old times."
"It does sound nice," said Patty, "let's read it."
They read both the plays, and so interested were they in the reading anddiscussing them that before they knew it the afternoon slipped away, andPansy Potts came in to announce that the tea was ready.
"Goodness," cried Patty, "I forgot all about it! Come on, girls, we candiscuss the play just as well at the table."
"Yes, and better," said Elsie.
Such a shout of exclamation as went up from the Tea Club girls when theysaw Patty's table.
"Why didn't you tell us there was to be a wedding?" said Ethel, "and wewould have brought presents."
"Is it an African jungle?" said Laura, "or is it only Smith's flowerstore moved up here bodily?"
"I think it looks like a page out of the _Misses' Home Guide_" saidPolly Stevens. "You ought to have this table photographed, it would takethe first prize! But where are we going to eat? Surely you don't expectus to sit down at this Louis XlV. gimcrack?"
"Nonsense," said Patty. "I fixed it up pretty because I thought it wouldplease you. If you don't like it--"
"Oh, we like it," cried Christine Converse, "we love it! We want to takeit home with us and put it under a glass case."
"Stop your nonsense, girls," said Marian, who had noticed Patty's risingcolour, "and take your places. It's a beautiful party, and a lot too goodfor such ungrateful wretches! If you can read writing, you'll find yournames on your cards."
"I can read writing," said Lillian Desmond, "but not such elegant goldcurlycues as these. Won't you please spell it out for me, MissFairfield?"
"Oh, take any place you choose," said Patty, laughing good-naturedly. Shedidn't really mind their chaff, but she began to think herself that shehad been a little absurd.
Then Pansy brought in the various dishes that Patty had worked so hardover, and perhaps you will not be surprised to learn that they werealmost uneatable, or, at least, very far from the dainty perfection theyought to have shown.
On discovering this, the girls, who were really well-bred, in spite oftheir love of chaffing, quite changed their manner and, ignoring thesituation, began merrily to discuss the play.
But as the various viands proved a continuous succession of failures,Patty became really
embarrassed and began to make apologies.
"Don't say a word," said Marian; "it was all my fault. I insisted onspending the day here, and I nearly bothered the life out of my poorcousin. Indeed, I carried her off bodily from the kitchen just at a dozencritical moments."
"No, it wasn't that," said honest Patty, "but I did just what I'm alwaysdoing, trying to make a lot of things I don't know anything about"
"Well," said Elsie, "if you couldn't try them on us girls, I don't knowwho you could try them on; I'm more than willing to be a martyr to thecause, and I say three cheers for our noble President!"
The cheers were given with a will, and Patty's equanimity being restored,she was her own merry self again, and they all laughed and chatted asonly a lot of happy girls can.
And that's how it happened that when Mr. Fairfield reached home at aboutsix o'clock he heard what sounded like a general pandemonium in thedining-room. As he appeared in the doorway he was greeted by a merryovation, for most of the Tea Club members knew and liked Patty's pleasantand genial father.
Then the girls, realising how late it was, began to take their leave.Marian went with them, and Patty, after the last one had gone, returnedto the dining-room, to find her father regarding the table with a look ofcomical dismay.
It was indeed a magnificent ruin. Besides the dishes of almost untasteddelicacies, the flowers had been pushed into disarray, one small vase hadbeen upset and broken; owing to improper adjustment the candles haddripped pink wax on the table-cloth; and the ice cream, which Pansy hadmistakenly served on open-work plates, had melted and run through.
Patty didn't say a word, indeed there was nothing to say. She went andstood very close to her father, as if expecting him to put his arm aroundher, which he promptly did.
"You see, Pitty-Pat," he said, "it wouldn't have made any difference atall--not _any_ difference at all, _except_ that I have brought my friendMr. Hepworth, the artist, home to dinner; and you see, misled by theexperiences of last night, I promised him we would find a tidy littledinner awaiting us."
"Oh, papa," cried Patty, "I _am_ sorry. If I had only known! I wouldn'thave failed you for worlds."
"I know it, my girl, and though this Lucullus feast does seem out ofproportion to a young misses' Tea Club, yet we won't say a word aboutthat now. We'll just get snow shovels and set to work and clear thistable and let Mancy get a simple little dinner as quickly as she can."
"But, papa," and here Patty met what was, perhaps, so far, the hardestexperience of her life, "I forgot to order anything for dinner at all!"
"Why, Patty Fairfield! consider yourself discharged, and I shall suitmyself at once with another housekeeperess!"
"You are the dearest, best, sweetest father!" she exclaimed. "How can yoube so good-natured and gay when my heart is breaking?"
"Oh, don't let your heart break over such prosaic things as dinners!We'll crawl out of this hole somehow."
"But what can we do, papa? It's after six o'clock, and all the marketsare shut up, and there isn't a thing in the house except those horriblethings I tried to make."
"Patty," said her father, struck by a sudden thought, "to-morrow isSunday. Do you mean to say you haven't ordered for over Sunday?"
"No, I haven't," said Patty, aghast at the enormity of her offence.
Mr. Fairfield laughed at the horror-stricken look on his daughter's face.
"I always thought you couldn't keep house," he said, with an air ofresignation. "On Monday I shall advertise for a housekeeper."
"Oh, please don't," pleaded Patty. "Give me one more trial. I've had agood lesson, and truly I'll profit by it. Let me try again."
"But you can't try again before Monday, and by that time we'll all bedead of starvation."
"Of course we will," said Patty despairingly. "I wish we were RobinsonCrusoes and could eat bark or something."
"Well, baby, I think you _have_ had a pretty good lesson, and we can'tput old heads on young shoulders all at once, so I'll help you out thistime, and then, the next time you go back on me in this heartlessfashion, I'll discharge you."
"Papa, you're a _dear_! But what can we do?"
"Well, the first thing for you to do is to go and brush your hair andmake yourself tidy, then come down and meet Mr. Hepworth; and then we'llall go over to the hotel for dinner. Meanwhile I'll call in the StreetCleaning Department to attend to this dining-room."