CHAPTER II
THE DECISION
It was only a few days later that Nan and Patty sat one evening in thelibrary waiting for Mr. Fairfield to come home to dinner.
The Fairfield library was a most cosey and attractive room. Nan was ahome-maker by nature, and as Patty dearly loved pretty and comfortableappointments, they had combined their efforts on the library and theresult was a room which they all loved far better than the more formaldrawing-room.
The fall was coming early that year, which gave an excuse for the firein the big fireplace. This fire was made of that peculiar kind ofdriftwood whose flames show marvellous rainbow tints. Patty never tiredof watching the strange-coloured blaze, and delighted in throwing onmore chips and splinters from time to time.
"I can't see what makes your father so late," said Nan, as she wanderedabout the room, now adjusting some flowers in a vase, and now stoppingto look out at the front window; "he's always here by this time, orearlier."
"Something must have detained him," said Patty, rather absently, as shepoked at a log with the tongs.
"Patty, you're a true Sherlock Holmes! Your father is late, and youimmediately deduce that something has detained him! Truly, you have awonderful intellect!"
"I don't wonder it seems so to you," said saucy Patty, smiling at herpretty stepmother; "people are always impressed by traits they don'tpossess themselves."
"But really I'm getting worried. If Fred doesn't come pretty soon Ishall telephone to the office."
"Do; I like to see you enacting the role of anxious young wife. Itsuits you perfectly. As for me, I'm starving; if papa doesn't comepretty soon, he will find an emaciated skeleton in place of the plumpdaughter he left behind him."
As Mr. Fairfield arrived at that moment, there was no occasion forfurther anxiety, but in response to their queries he gave them nosatisfaction as to the cause of his unusual tardiness, and only smiledat their exclamations.
It was not until they were seated at the dinner table that Mr.Fairfield announced he had something to tell them.
"And I'm sure it's something nice," said Patty, "for there's a twinklein the left corner of your right eye."
"Gracious, Patty!" cried Nan, "that sounds as if your father werecross-eyed, and he isn't."
"Well," went on Mr. Fairfield, "what I have to tell you is just this: Ihave arranged for the immediate future of Miss Patricia Fairfield."
Patty looked frightened. There was something in her father's tone thatmade her feel certain that his mind was irrevocably made up, and thatwhatever plans he had made for her were sure to be carried out. But sheresolved to treat it lightly until she found out what it was all about.
"I don't want to be intrusive," she said, "but if not too presumptuous,might I inquire what is to become of me?"
"Yours not to make reply, yours not to reason why," said her fatherteasingly. "You know, my child, you're not yet of age, and I, as yourlegal parent and guardian, can do whatever I please with you. You are,as Mr. Shakespeare puts it, 'my goods, my chattel,' and so I havedecided to pack you up and send you away."
"Really, papa!" cried Patty, aghast.
"Yes, really. I remember you expressed a disinclination to leave yourhome and family, but all the same I have made arrangements for you todo so. It was the detailing of these arrangements that kept me so lateat my office to-night."
Patty looked at her father. She understood his bantering tone, and fromthe twinkle in his eye she knew that whatever plans he may have made,they were pleasant ones; and, too, she knew that notwithstanding hisair of authority she needn't abide by them unless she chose to. So shewaited contentedly enough for his serious account of the matter, and itsoon came.
"Why, it's this way, chickabiddy," he said. "Mr. Farrington came to seeme at the office this afternoon, and laid a plan before me. It seemsthat he and Mrs. Farrington and Elise are going to Paris for thewinter, and he brought from himself and his wife an invitation for youto go with them."
"Oh!" said Patty. She scarcely breathed the word, but her eyes shonelike stars, and her face expressed the delight that the thought of sucha plan brought to her.
"Oh!" she said again, as thoughts of further details came crowding intoher mind.
"How perfectly glorious!" cried Nan, whose enthusiasm ran to words, asPatty seemed struck dumb. "It's the very thing! just what Patty needs.And to go with the Farringtons is the most delightful way to make sucha trip. Tell us all about it, Fred. When do they start? Shall I havetime to get Patty some clothes? No, she'd better buy them over there.Oh, Patty, you'll have the most rapturous time! Do say something, youlittle goose! Don't sit there blinking as if you didn't understandwhat's going on. Tell us more about it, Fred."
"I will, my dear, if you'll only give me a chance. The Farringtons meanto sail very soon--in about a fortnight. They will go on a French linerand go at once to Paris. Except for possible short trips, they willstay in the city all winter. Then the girls can study French, or music,or whatever they like, and incidentally have some fun, I dare say. Mr.Farrington seemed truly anxious to have Patty go, although I warned himthat she was a difficult young person to manage. But he said he had hadexperience in that line last summer, and found that it was possible toget along with her. Anyway, he was most urgent in the matter, and saidthat if I agreed to it, Mrs. Farrington and Elise would come over andinvite her personally."
"Am I to be their guest entirely, papa?" asked Patty.
"Mr. Farrington insisted that you should, but I wouldn't agree to that.I shall pay all your travelling expenses, hotel bills, and incidentals.But if they take a furnished house in Paris for the season, as theyexpect to do, you will stay there as their guest."
"Oh," cried Patty, who had found her voice at last, "I do think it'stoo lovely for anything! And you are so good, papa, to let me go. Butwon't it cost a great deal, and can you afford it?"
"It will be somewhat expensive, my dear, but I can afford it, for, as Itold you, my finances are looking up. And, too, I consider this a partof your education, and so look upon it as a necessary outlay. But youmust remember that the Farringtons are far more wealthy people than we,and though you can afford the necessary travelling expenses, youprobably cannot be as extravagant in the matter of personal expenditureas they. I shall give you what I consider an ample allowance of pinmoney, and then you must be satisfied with the number of pins it willbuy."
"That doesn't worry me," declared Patty. "I'm so delighted to go that Idon't care if I don't buy a thing over there."
"You'll change your mind when you get there and get into the wonderfulParis shops," said her father, smiling; "but never fear, puss; you'llhave enough francs to buy all the pretty dresses and gewgaws andknick-knacks that it's proper for a little girl like you to have. Howold are you now, Patty?"
"Almost eighteen, papa."
"Almost eighteen, indeed! You mean you're only fairly well pastseventeen. But it doesn't matter. Remember you're a little girl, andnot a society young lady, and conduct yourself accordingly."
"Mrs. Farrington will look out for that," said Nan; "she has the bestpossible ideas about such things, and she brings up Elise exactly inaccordance with my notions of what is right."
"That settles it," said Mr. Fairfield; "I shall have no further anxietyon that score since Nan approves of the outlook. But, Patty girl, we'regoing to miss you here."
"Yes, indeed," cried Nan. "I hadn't realised that side of it. Oh,Patty, we had planned so many things for this winter, and now I shallbe alone all day and every day!"
"Come on, and go with me," said Patty, mischievously.
"No," said Nan, smiling at her husband; "I have a stronger tie hereeven than your delightful companionship. But truly we shall miss youawfully."
"Of course you will," said Patty, "and I'll miss you, too. But we'llwrite each other long letters, and oh! I do think the whole game isperfectly lovely."
"So do I," agreed Nan; and then followed such a lot of feminineplanning and chatter that Mr. Fairfield decla
red his advice seemed notto be needed.
The next morning Nan and Patty went over to the Farringtons to discussthe great subject. They expressed to Mrs. Farrington their heartythanks for her kind invitation, but she insisted that the kindness wasall on Patty's side, as her company would be a great delight, not onlyto Elise, but also to the elder members of the party.
"Isn't Roger going?" asked Patty.
"No," said Mrs. Farrington; "this is his last year in college, so ofcourse he can't leave. The other children are in school, too, so itseemed just the right year for us to take Elise abroad for a littleouting. A winter in Paris will do both of you girls good in lots ofways, and if for any reason we don't enjoy it, we can go somewhereelse, or we can turn around and come home, and no harm done." Althoughthe trip seemed such a great event to Patty, Mrs. Farrington appearedto look upon it merely as a little outing, and seemed so thoroughlyglad to have Patty go with them that she almost made Patty feel as ifshe were conferring the favour.
Elise and Patty went away by themselves to talk it all over, while Nanstayed with Mrs. Farrington to discuss the more practical details.
"I didn't care a bit about going," said Elise, "until we thought aboutyour going too, and now I'm crazy to go. Oh, Patty, won't we have themost gorgeous time!"
"Yes, indeed," said Patty; "I can hardly realise it yet. I'm perfectlybewildered. Shall we go to school, Elise?"
"I don't think so, and yet we may. Mother's going to take a house, youknow, and then we'll either have masters every day, or go to someschool. Mother knows all about Paris. She has lived there a lot. But wesha'n't have to study all the time, I know that much. We'll gosight-seeing a good deal, and of course we'll go motoring."
"I shall enjoy the ocean trip," said Patty; "I've never been across,you know. You've been a number of times, haven't you?"
"Yes, but not very lately. We used to go often when Roger and I werelittle, but I haven't been over for six years, and then we weren't inParis."
"I'm sure I shall love Paris. Do you remember it well?"
"No; when I was there last I was too little to appreciate it, so we'llexplore it together, you and I. I wish Roger were going with us; it'snice to have a boy along to escort us about."
"Yes, it is," said Patty frankly; "and Roger is so kind andgood-natured. When do we sail, Elise?"
"Two weeks from Saturday, I think. Father is going to see about thetickets to-day. He waited to see your father yesterday, and make surethat you could go. The whole thing has been planned rather suddenly,but that's the way father always does things."
"And it's so fortunate," went on Patty, "that I hadn't started away tocollege or boarding-school. Although if I had, and you had invited me,I should have managed some way to get expelled from college, so I couldgo with you. How long do you suppose we shall stay, Elise?"
"I don't know, I'm sure. You never can tell what the Farringtons aregoing to do; they're here to-day and gone to-morrow. We'll stay allwinter, of course, and then in the spring, mother might take a notionto go to London, or she might decide to come flying home. As forfather, he'll probably bob back and forth. He doesn't think any more ofcrossing the ocean than of crossing the street. Have you much to do toget ready to go?"
"No, not much. Nan says for me not to get a lot of clothes, for it'sbetter to buy them over there; and papa says I can buy all I want, onlyof course I can't be as extravagant as you are."
"Oh, pshaw, I'm not extravagant! I don't care much about spendingmoney, only of course I like to have some nice things. And I do love tobuy pictures and books. But we'll have an awful lot of fun together. Ithink it's fun just to be with you, Patty. And the idea of having youall to myself for a whole winter, without Hilda, or Lorraine, oranybody claiming a part of you, is the best of it all. I do love you alot, Patty, more than you realise, I think."
"You've set your affections on a worthless object, then; and I warn youthat before the winter is over you're likely to discover that foryourself. You always did overestimate me, Elise."
"Indeed I didn't; but as you well know, from that first day at theOliphant school, when you were so kind to me, I've never liked anybodyhalf as much as I do you."
"You're extremely flattering," said Patty, as she kissed her friend,"and I only hope this winter won't prove a disillusion."
"I'm not at all afraid," returned Elise gaily; "and oh, Patty, won't wehave a jolly time on board the steamer! It's a long trip, you know, andwe must take books to read and games to play, for as there'll probablybe mostly French people on board, we can't converse very much."
"You can," said Patty, laughing, "but I'm afraid no one can understandmy beautiful but somewhat peculiar accent."