CHAPTER XVII
ENTERTAINING RELATIVES
Spring and summer followed one another in their usual succession, andas the months went by, Boxley Hall became more beautiful and moreattractively homelike, both inside and out. Mr. Fairfield bought apair of fine carriage horses and a pony and cart for Patty's own use.A man was engaged to take care of these and also to look after thelawn and garden.
Patty, learning much from experience and also from Aunt Alice'soccasional visits, developed into a sensible and capable littlehousekeeper. So determined was she to make the keeping of her father'shouse a real success that she tried most diligently to correct all hererrors and improve her powers.
Patty had a natural aptitude for domestic matters, and after some roughplaces were made smooth and some sharp corners rounded off, things wentquite as smoothly as in many houses where the presiding genius numberedtwice Patty's years.
With June came vacation, and Patty was more than glad, for she wasnever fond of school, and now could have all her time to devote to herbeloved home.
And, too, she wanted very much to invite her cousins to visit her, whichwas only possible in vacation time.
"I think, papa," she said, as they sat on the veranda one June eveningafter dinner, "I think I shall have a house party. I shall invite all mycousins from Elmbridge and Philadelphia and Boston and we'll have a grandgeneral reunion that will be most beautiful."
"You'll invite your aunts and uncles, too?" said Mr. Fairfield.
"Why, I don't see how we'd have room for so many," said Patty.
"And, of course," went on her father, "you'd invite the whole Elliottfamily. It wouldn't be fair to leave them out of your house-party justbecause they happen to live in Vernondale."
Then Patty saw that her father was laughing at her.
"I know you're teasing me now, papa," she said, "but I don't see why.Just because I want to ask my cousins to come here and return the visitsI made to them last year."
"But you didn't visit them all at once, my child, and you certainly couldnot expect to entertain them here all at once. Your list of cousins is avery long one, and even if there were room for them in the house, thecare and responsibility of such a house party would be enough to land youin a sanitarium when it was over, if not before."
"There are an awful lot of them," said Patty.
"And they're not altogether congenial," said her father. "Although Ihaven't seen them as lately as you have, yet I can't help thinking, fromwhat you told me, that the Barlows and the St. Clairs would enjoythemselves better if they visited here at different times, and I'm surethe same is true of your Boston cousins."
"You're right," said Patty, "as you always are, and I don't believe I'dhave much fun with all that company at once, either. So I think we'llhave them in detachments, and first I'll just invite Ethelyn and Reginalddown for a week or two. I don't really care much about having them, butEthelyn has written so often that she wants to come that I don't see howI can very well get out of it."
"If she wants to come, you certainly ought to ask her. You visited therethree months, you know."
"Yes, I know it, and they were very kind to me. Aunt Isabel had parties,and did things for my pleasure all the time. Well, I'll invite them rightaway. Perhaps I ought to ask Aunt Isabel, too."
"Yes, you might ask her," said Mr. Fairfield, "and she can bring thechildren down, but she probably will not stay as long as they do."
So Patty wrote for her aunt and cousins, and the first day of Julythey arrived.
Mrs. St. Clair, who was Patty's aunt only by marriage, was a veryfashionable woman of a pretty, but somewhat artificial, type. She likedyoung people, and had spared no pains to make Patty's visit to her ahappy one. But it was quite evident that she expected Patty to return herhospitality in kind, and she had been at Boxley Hall but a few hoursbefore she began to inquire what plans Patty had made for herentertainment.
Now, though Patty had thought out several little pleasures for hercousins, it hadn't occurred to her that Aunt Isabel would expect partiesmade for her.
She evaded her aunt's questions, however, and waited for an opportunityto speak alone with her father about it.
"Why, papa," she exclaimed that evening after their guests had gone totheir rooms, "Aunt Isabel expects me to have a tea or reception orsomething for her."
"Nonsense, child, she can't think of such a thing."
"Yes, she does, papa, and what's more, I want to do it. She was verykind to me and I'd rather please her than Ethelyn. I don't care much forEthelyn anyway."
"She isn't just your kind, is she, my girl?"
"No, she isn't like Marian nor any of the club girls. She has her headfull of fashions, and beaux, and grown-up things of all sorts. She isjust my age, but you'd think she was about twenty, wouldn't you?"
"Yes, she does look almost as old as that, and she acts quite as old.Reginald is a nice boy."
"Yes, but he's pompous and stuck-up. He always did put on grand airs.Aunt Isabel does, too, but she's so kind-hearted and generous nobody canhelp liking her."
"Well, have a party for her if you want to, chicken. But don't take theresponsibility of it entirely on yourself. I should think you might makeit a pretty little afternoon tea. Get Aunt Alice to make out theinvitation list; she knows better than you what ladies to invite, andthen let Pacetti send up whatever you want for the feast. I've no doubtPansy will be willing to attend to the floral decoration of the house."
"I've no doubt she will," said Patty, laughing. "The trouble will be tostop her before she turns the whole place into a horticultural exhibit."
"Well, go ahead with it, Patty. I think it will please your aunt verymuch, but don't wear yourself out over it."
Next morning at breakfast Patty announced her plan for an afternoon tea,and Aunt Isabel was delighted.
"You dear child," she exclaimed, "how sweet of you! I hate to have you goto any trouble on my account, but I shall be so pleased to meet theVernondale ladies. I want to know what kind of people my niece is growingup among."
"I'm sure you'll like them, Aunt Isabel. Aunt Alice's friends are lovely.And then I'll ask the mothers of the Tea Club girls, and my neighbour,Miss Daggett, but I don't believe she'll come."
"Is that the rich Miss Daggett?" asked Aunt Isabel curiously; "thequeer one?"
"I don't know whether she's rich or not," said Patty. "I dare say sheis, though, because she has lovely things; but she certainly can becalled queer. I'm very fond of her, though; she's awfully nice to me, andI like her in spite of her queerness."
"But you'll ask some young ladies, too, won't you?" said Ethelyn. "Idon't care very much for queer old maids and middle-aged married ladies."
"Oh, this isn't for you, Ethel," said Patty. "I'll have a children'sparty for you and Reginald some other day."
"Children's party, indeed," said Ethelyn, turning up her haughty littlenose. "You know very well, Patty, I haven't considered myself a childfor years."
"Nor I," said Reginald.
"Well, I consider myself one," said Patty. "I'm not in a bit of hurry tobe grown-up; but we're going to have a lovely sailing party, Ethelyn, onFourth of July, and I'm sure you'll enjoy that."
"Are any young men going?" said Ethelyn.
"There are a lot of boys going," said Patty. "But the only young menwill be my father and Uncle Charley and Mr. Hepworth."
"Who is Mr. Hepworth?"
"He's an artist friend of papa's, who comes out quite often, and whoalways goes sailing with us when we have sailing parties."
Aunt Alice was more than willing to help Patty with her project, and theresult was a very pretty little afternoon tea at Boxley Hall.
"I'm so glad I brought my white crepe-de-chine," said Aunt Isabel, as shedressed for the occasion.
"I'm glad, too," said Patty; "for it's a lovely gown and you looksweet in it."
"I've brought a lot of pretty dresses, too," said Ethelyn, "and I supposeI may as well put on one of the prettiest to-day, as t
here's no use inwasting them on those children's parties you're talking about."
"Do just as you like, Ethelyn," said Patty, knowing that her cousin wasalways overdressed on all occasions, and therefore it made littledifference what she wore.
And, sure enough, Ethelyn arrayed herself in a most resplendent gownwhich, though very beautiful, was made in a style more suited to a belleof several seasons than a young miss of sixteen.
Patty wore one of her pretty little white house dresses; and Aunt Alice,in a lovely gray gown, assisted her to receive the guests, and tointroduce Mrs. St. Clair and her children.
Among the late arrivals was Miss Daggett. Her coming created a sensation,for, as was well known in Vernondale, she rarely attended social affairsof any sort. But, for some unknown reason, she chose to accept Patty'sinvitation, and, garbed in an old-fashioned brown velvet, she waspresented to Mrs. St. Clair.
"I'm so glad to see you," said the latter, shaking hands effusively.
"Humph!" said Miss Daggett. "Why should you be glad to see me, pray?"
"Why, because--because--" Mrs. St. Clair floundered a little, andseemed really unable to give any reason.
"Because you've heard that I'm rich and old and queer?" said MissDaggett.
This was exactly true, but Mrs. St. Clair did not care to admit it, soshe said: "Why, no, not that; but I've heard my niece speak of you sooften that I felt anxious to meet you."
"Well, I'm not afraid of anything Patty Fairfield said about me; she's adear little girl; I'm very fond of her."
"Why do you call her little girl?" said Mrs. St. Clair. "Patty is in herseventeenth year; surely that is not quite a child."
"But she is a child at heart," said Miss Daggett, "and I am glad of it. Iwould far rather see her with her pretty, sunshiny childish ways than tosee her like that overdressed little minx standing over there beside her,whoever she may be."
"That's my daughter," said Mrs. St. Clair, without, however, looking asdeeply offended as she might have done.
"Oh, is it?" said Miss Daggett, sniffing. "Well, I see no reason tochange my opinion of her, if she is."
"No," said Mrs. St. Clair, "of course we are each entitled to our ownopinion. Now, I think my daughter more appropriately dressed than myniece. And I think your nephew will agree with me," she added, smiling.
"My nephew!" snapped Miss Daggett. "Do you know him?"
"Oh, yes, indeed; we met Mr. Harper at a reception in New York not longago, and he was very much charmed with my daughter Ethelyn."
"He may have seemed so," said Miss Daggett scornfully. "He is a verypolite young man. But let me tell you, he admires Patty Fairfield morethan any other girl he has ever seen. He told me so himself. And now, goaway, if you please, I'm tired of talking to you."
Mrs. St. Clair was not very much surprised at this speech, for Patty hadtold her of Miss Daggett's summary method of dismissing people; and so,with a sweet smile and a bow, the fashionable matron left the eccentricand indignant spinster.