CHAPTER V
GOOD-BYES
At last the day of sailing came. The steamer was to leave her dock atthree o'clock on Saturday afternoon, and soon after two Patty went onboard, accompanied by Nan and her father.
A crowd of friends had also gathered to bid Patty goodspeed, andbesides these the Farringtons had many friends there to say good-bye tothem.
With the exception of Marian, it was not a sad parting. Indeed itseemed rather a hilarious occasion than otherwise. This was partlybecause most of the persons concerned felt truly sorry to miss Patty'sbright presence out of their lives, and feared that if they showed anyregret the situation might become too much for them.
Hilda and Lorraine felt this especially, and they were so absurdly gaythat it was quite clear to Patty that their gaiety was assumed. But shewas grateful to them for it, for, as she had previously confided toNan, she didn't want a weepy, teary crowd to bid her good-bye; shewanted to go away amid laughter and smiles.
As the brief hour before sailing passed, more and more people came tosee them off, and Patty began to think that everybody she ever knewwould be there.
Many of the friends brought gifts, and many had already sent fruit orflowers, both to the Farringtons and to Patty. Down in thedining-saloon a whole table was occupied with the gifts to their party,and more than a fair proportion of these belonged to Patty. She wasquite bewildered, for sailing away from her native land was a newexperience to her, and it had never occurred to her that it wouldinclude this elaborate profusion of farewell gifts.
There was a great basket of red roses from Winthrop Warner, and Berthahad sent a box of candy. Roger had sent candy, too, and Kenneth hadsent a beautiful basket of fruit that seemed to include every knownvariety. Nor were the gifts only from Patty's intimate friends. She wassurprised to learn how many of her acquaintances and relatives andcasual friends had sent a token of good wishes for her voyage. Thetruth is that Patty was a general favourite and made friends with allwhom she met.
Mr. Hepworth had once told her that she was a Dispenser of Happiness.If so, she was now reaping the reward, for her friends had surelyshowered happiness upon her.
And besides the table full of gifts there were many letters andtelegrams in the ship's little post-office. These delighted Patty, too,and she laid the budget aside to enjoy after the trip had fairly begun.
Among the last to arrive was Mr. Hepworth. He brought no fruit orflowers, but he was followed by a messenger boy fairly staggering underthe weight of his burden.
"I knew, Patty," he said, "that you'd have all the flowers and fruitand sweets you could possibly want, so I've brought you a differentkind of gift."
"There seems to be plenty of it," said Patty as she looked at the smallboy. His arms were full of papers and magazines, which, as theyafterward discovered, included every newspaper, magazine, and weeklyperiodical published in New York.
"You know," said Mr. Hepworth, "you can't get current reading matterafter you start, and a good deal of this stuff you won't find in Paris,either; though you can get American publications there more easily thanyou can in London. But read what you want, Patty, and pitch the restoverboard."
The boy was directed to carry his load to Patty's stateroom and depositit there. Patty thanked Mr. Hepworth for his thoughtful gift, and saidshe would read every word of it and probably carry a great deal of itashore with her.
"Come on, Patty," said Kenneth, "we're going to see where your deckchairs are, so we can have a mental picture of just how you're going tolook for the next week or so."
About a dozen merry young people trooped up the next deck and found thechairs that had been reserved for the Farrington party. But when Pattysaw them she burst out laughing. The two that were intended for herselfand Elise had been decorated in an absurd fashion. They were tied withribbon bows and bunches and garlands of flowers. They were filled withfancy pillows, and tied on in several places were letters and smallpackages done up in paper.
"They look like ridiculous Christmas trees," cried Patty. "I'm crazy toopen those bundles, for I know they're full of foolishness that yougirls have rigged up for us."
"Don't open them now," said Hilda, "for we have to leave you and goashore in a few moments. Now, Patty, you will write to us, won't you?"
"I rather think I will," cried Patty; "you've all been so good to me Inever could thank you enough if I wrote every day and all day."
"Come with me, Patty," said Kenneth; "I want to show you something upat this end of the ship."
So Patty went off with Kenneth, and when they were well away from thelaughing crowd he drew a small box from his pocket and gave it to her,saying: "Patty, you mustn't think I'm a sentimental fool, for I'm not;but I wish you'd wear that while you're away, and sometimes think ofme."
Patty flashed a comical glance at him.
"Good gracious, Ken," she exclaimed, "it's an awful funny thing, thisgoing away; it makes all your friends so serious and so afraid you'llforget them. Of course I shall think of you while I'm away."
"Who else has been asking you to think of him?" growled Kenneth; "thatridiculous Hepworth, I suppose! Well, now look here, miss, you're tothink of me twice to his once. Do you understand that?"
"Yes, I understand," said Patty demurely; "and now may I look in thebox before I promise to wear your gift? It might be a live beetle. Isaw a lady once who wore a live beetle attached to a tiny gold chain.Oh, it was awful!"
"It isn't a live beetle," said Kenneth, smiling, "but it is attached toa tiny gold chain. Yes, of course you may look at it, and if you don'tlike it you needn't wear it."
So Patty opened the box and discovered a little gold locket, set withtiny pearls and hanging from a slender gold chain. It was very gracefuland dainty, and Patty's first impulse was one of delight. But as shelooked up and met Kenneth's serious gaze she suddenly wondered if shewere promising too much to say she would wear it.
"What's inside of it?" she inquired, as if to gain time.
"Look and see."
Patty opened the locket and found it contained a most attractivepicture of Kenneth's handsome, boyish face.
"What a splendid likeness!" she exclaimed; "you're awfullygood-looking, Ken, and I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll wear the locketwith pleasure--sometimes, you know, not all the time, of course--untilI find somebody who is handsomer than you, or--whom I like better."
"Pooh," cried Kenneth, "I don't care how often you replace it with apicture of a handsomer man, but, Patty, I don't want you to find anyone you like better. Promise me you won't."
"Oh, I can't promise that, Ken. Just think of the fascinating FrenchmenI shall probably meet, with their waxed moustaches and their dandifiedmanners. How can I help liking them better than a plain, unvarnishedAmerican boy?"
"All right, my lady; if you set your affections on a French popinjay,I'll come over there and fight a duel with him. I know you're toosensible to look at those addle-pated dandies, but I wish you'd promisenot to like anybody better than THIS plain, unvarnished American boy."
"I won't promise you anything, Ken," said Patty, not unkindly, but witha gentle, definite air. "I thank you for your locket. It is beautiful,and I do love pretty things. I'll wear it sometimes; let me see, to-dayis Saturday; well, I'll wear it every Saturday; that will insure yourbeing thought of at least once a week."
And with this Kenneth had to be content, for a roguish laugh appearedin Patty's eyes and he knew she would not treat matters seriously anyfurther.
Dropping the locket in her little handbag, Patty turned to go back tothe others.
"But you're not keeping your promise," said Kenneth, detaining her.
"What promise?"
"You said you'd wear the locket on Saturdays, and to-day is Saturday."
Patty was a little embarrassed. She knew if she went back to the groupwith the trinket hanging round her neck, every one would know at oncethat Kenneth had given it to her, and they would surmise far more thanthe simple, truth. And she was especially conscio
us that Mr. Hepworthwould notice it, and would think it meant all Kenneth had wanted it tomean, which was far more than she had accepted it as meaning.
Kenneth saw her hesitation and stood watching her.
"Wear it, dear," he said quietly; "an old friend like myself has aperfect right to give you a little keepsake." Then Patty had aninspiration. She clasped the little chain about her neck and thentucked the locket down inside her collar so that it was entirely out ofsight.
"You little witch!" cried Kenneth as she raised her laughing eyes tohis; "but at any rate you're wearing it, and that's all I asked of you."
"Yes," said Patty; and, as gaily and unaffectedly as a child, shegrasped Kenneth's hand and ran down the long deck to join the others.
Although determined to ignore the episode, Patty's cheeks bore aheightened colour and she let poor Kenneth severely alone, devoting herattention to the others.
But it was nearly time: for the last farewell to be said, and indeedsome of the party had said good-bye and left the steamer.
And then again Patty was carried off for a little confidential talk atthe other end of the deck, and this time it was by her father.
He seemed to have many final bits of advice to give her regarding theminutiae of her journey, her money matters, her relation toward theFarringtons, and her correct demeanour in many ways.
"I'm not at all afraid to trust you out of my sight, Patty, girl," hesaid, "for I have absolute faith in your common sense and your goodjudgment. I know you won't do anything wrong or unladylike, but I wantto warn you, my little girl, not to get mixed up in any romanticadventures. You're altogether too young for that sort of thing, and Iwarn you I sha'n't allow you to be engaged to anybody for years andyears to come." Patty laughed merrily at this. "Indeed, papa," shesaid, "nothing is further from my mind than any such performance as yousuggest, and I haven't the slightest desire to think of being engageduntil I'm at least as old as Nan. And anyway, I don't believe anybodywould like me well enough to want to be engaged to me. Oh--thatis--unless it might be Kenneth."
And then Patty told her father the whole story of Kenneth and thelocket.
"You did just right, Patty," said her father. "Kenneth is a nice boy,but he is altogether too young, and you are, too, to attach anysentimental significance to his gift. Wear the locket if you want to,or when you want to, but let it be understood that it means nothingmore than the merest friendly keepsake."
"Yes, that's just what I think," said Patty, with an air ofsatisfaction at this prosaic settlement of the subject. "Oh, papa,you're the only one I'm going to miss very much, you and Nan; butespecially you."
"I know it, my girl; we have been a great deal to each other all theseyears, and of course we shall miss each other. But the time will soonpass away, and since we have to part we must be brave about it, and wemust not spoil the happiness of it by the sorrow of it."
"Dear papa," said Patty, squeezing his hand, "you are always so wiseand good. That's just the point; we must not spoil the happiness by thesorrow, though that is what Marian is always trying to do. Poor Marian,she's such a pathetic creature; I wish she would cheer up."
"I think she will, Patty. Nan and I are going to take her home with usand keep her for a fortnight or more, and we'll make her so gay thatshe'll forget you're gone."
"Good for you, papa; that's lovely! You do think of the nicest thingsfor people!"
"Well, now, chickabiddy, I suppose I'll have to leave you. Keep up agood heart and a spirit of cheerfulness. Stick to your sense ofproportion and your sense of humor. Remember that the time will soonpass, and pass happily, too; and then you'll come sailing back to thisvery dock, and I'll be here waiting for you."
They rejoined the group and then the farewells began in earnest. Pattywas embraced and kissed by all the girls, until Nan declared therewould be nothing left for her to say good-bye to. The men shook handsand expressed hearty good wishes, and with one last kiss from herfather Patty was left alone with the Farringtons.
As the steamer sailed away there was much waving of handkerchiefs andflags, and the friends on shore were kept in sight just as long aspossible.
But when they could no longer be distinguished, Patty said: "Come on,Elise; let's do something to occupy our minds, or I feel sure I shallcry like a baby in spite of my noble and brave resolutions."
"All right," said Elise, "I'm with you. Let's go down and put things torights in our stateroom."
So down they went on their errand. The girls were to share the samestateroom, and as it was large and conveniently arranged, they wereglad to be together. But as they entered the door they nearly fell overin astonishment, for sitting on the sofa, with his paws extended inwelcome, was a very large, very white, and very fleecy "Teddy Bear." Inone paw he held a card on which was written:
Oh Patty dear, Oh Elise dear, We don't want you to go away; But if you will, Keep with you still This merry little stowaway.