CHAPTER VI
THE OLD MA'AMSELLE
The girls laughed heartily over the Teddy Bear, and agreed that it wasa delightful companion for their trip. Elise set him up on the littleshelf above the washstand, and he gazed down upon them like a fat andgood-natured patron saint. Patty named him Yankee Doodle, and gave himan American flag to hold; but Elise, not wishing to seem to slight theFrench nation, gave him a silken tri-colour of France to hold in hisother paw. Apparently unprejudiced in his sympathies, Yankee Doodleheld both flags, and continued to wear his jolly and complacent grin.
It was great fun for the girls to arrange their stateroom. As theyexpected to occupy it for the next ten days, they proceeded to make itas homelike as possible. They both had so many cabin bags and wallpockets and basket catchalls which had been parting gifts that it wasdifficult to find wall space for them all. Patty was to occupy thelower berth and Elise the wide and comfortable sofa. For they concludedthey could chatter better if on a level. This left the upper berth as abroad shelf for books and magazines, boxes of candy, and all the oddsand ends of their belongings.
"Isn't it perfectly wonderful," said Patty, "to think we are alreadymiles away from land, and dancing away over this blue water!"
As Patty was standing on the sofa, with her head stuck out through theporthole, Elise could not hear a word of this speech; so unless thefishes were interested it was entirely lost. But this mattered littleto Patty, and soon she pulled her head in and made the same remark overagain.
"Well," said Elise, who was matter-of-fact, "when people take passageon an ocean steamer they often expect to get a few miles away from landafter they start."
"Oh, Elise," cried Patty, "have you no imagination? Of course it isn'twonderful to consider the FACT of our sailing out to sea, but the IDEAof dancing away over the blue water is poetic and therefore wonderful."
"I'm glad you explained it to me, and I dare say the more the shipdances, the more wonderful it will be. And so let's get these thingsstraightened out before the dancing grows mad and hilarious."
"All right," said Patty good-naturedly; and she went to work with awill, stowing away things and tacking up things, until everything wassnugly in place.
Mrs. Farrington's maid accompanied the party, but both Elise and Patty,being energetic young Americans, had small use for her services. Shewas a help, though, in the matter of back buttons and hair ribbons, andshe came now rapping at the stateroom door with a message from Mrs.Farrington that the girls were to dress for dinner. At the same momentthe pretty bugle-call rang out that marked the half hour beforedinner-time.
"Isn't it fun," cried Patty, "to have the dressing-bell a trumpet?Except at my own party the other night I've never been bugled to mymeals. What shall we wear, Elise?"
"Not our prettiest dresses. We must save those for the concert, orwhatever gaieties they may have. Put on that blue checked silk ofyours, Patty; it's the sweetest thing, and just right for dinner, andI'll wear my light green one."
With slight assistance from Lisette, the French maid, they were soonready. Patty envied Lisette her fluency in the French tongue, forthough all the officers on board and most of the passengers spokeEnglish, Patty wished she could talk French more readily than she did.She found it good practice to talk to Lisette in her own language, asthe mistakes she made did not embarrass her. Lisette, of course, was agreat admirer of pretty Patty, and was only too glad to be ofassistance to her linguistically or any other way.
Another bugle-call announced dinner, and, joining Mr. and Mrs.Farrington, the girls went down to the dining saloon. Their seats wereat the captain's table, and Patty thought she had never seen such aprofusion of beautiful flowers as graced the board. The stewards hadplaced the flowers of all the passengers upon the tables, and, with thelights and ornate decorations of the Louis XVI. saloon, it was likefairyland. The walls and ceiling were elaborately decorated in daintyFrench fashion, and the table service was exceedingly attractive. Pattywas much amused at the revolving chair which she had to learn how toget into, but after being twirled to her place she concluded it was awise provision for a dining-room of such uncertain level.
Mrs. Farrington sat at the captain's right hand, and next to her washer husband, then Elise, and then Patty. Patty at once began to wonderwho would occupy the chair next beyond herself, and was exceedinglyinterested when the steward turned it around to accommodate a lady whowas approaching.
The newcomer was without doubt a Frenchwoman, somewhat elderly, butvery vigorous and active. She had masses of snow-white hair, and large,alert, black eyes that seemed to dart quickly from one point ofinterest to another. She was a little lady, but her gait and mannerwere marked by an air not only of aristocracy, but as of one accustomedto exert absolute authority. Nor was she apparently of a mild andamiable disposition. She spoke sharply to the steward, although he wasdoing his best to serve her.
"And is it that you shall be all night in arranging my chair?" sheexclaimed. Then, as she was finally seated, she continued hergrumbling. "And is it not enough that I must be delayed, but still Ihave received no MENU? One shall see if this is to be permitted!"
The steward did not seem unduly alarmed at the little old lady's angryspeech, but hastened to bring her the daintily printed bill of fare.
Raising her jewelled lorgnon, the French lady scanned the MENU, andhaving made a choice of soup, she laid the card down, and turningtoward Patty surveyed her leisurely through her glasses.
Her manner as she scrutinised Patty was by no means rude orimpertinent. It had rather the effect of an honest curiosity and apolite interest.
"There is no denying, my dear," she said at last, "that you are of abeauty. And of a sweetness. An American of Americans. New York--is itnot so?"
There was an indefinable charm about the old lady's manner that wonPatty's heart at once, and though in any case she would have beenpolite, she answered with cordiality:
"Yes, madame, I live in New York, although I was born in the South andlived there for many years."
"Ah, then, it is explained. It is your Southern States that make thecharm, the aplomb, without the--what you call--the--the freshness. Isit not so? But I do not mean the freshness of the cheek; and yet, inthe argot do you not say freshness is cheek? Ah, I am bewildered; I ammixup with your strange words; but I will learn them! They shall notconquer me! And you will help me; is it not so?"
"I will help you with pleasure, madame," replied Patty, dimpling withfun as she heard the old lady's unsuccessful attempts in Americanslang. "My name is Patty Fairfield; and though I seldom use the slangof my country, I'm more or less familiar with its terms, and canenlighten you concerning them, at least to a degree. To me yourlanguage is difficult; but perhaps we may by conversation help eachother."
"Patty Fairfield; a pleasant name for a pleasant child. But I'm notmadame; pray call me ma'amselle. I am Ma'amselle Labesse."
"You are a Frenchwoman, of course?" inquired Patty.
"A Frenchwoman, yes; but of an admiration for your strange Americancountry. I go home now, but I shall return again. Your country is of aninterest."
As Patty looked around at the others at their table, she felt that shehad been fortunate in sitting next to the old ma'amselle. For thoughshe could not judge entirely by appearances, no one else at the tableseemed to be so quaintly interesting as the old French lady.
Patty soon discovered that even a "few miles of dancing upon the bluewater" had decidedly sharpened her appetite, and she did full justiceto the delicate viands and delicious French cookery placed before her.She and Elise chatted happily, and after introducing her companions oneither side to each other the conversation became general.
Under the influence of the comradeship always felt on a French liner,the people across the table became sociably inclined, and acquaintanceswere made rapidly.
After dinner our party went out on deck, and though warm wraps werenecessary, the crisp, clear air was delightful, and the starry sky andtumbling black water fascinate
d Patty beyond all words. She leanedagainst the rail, watching the waves as they dashed and plashed below,breaking into white foam as the steamer ploughed through them. Pattywas very susceptible to new impressions, and the great expanse of blackwater beneath the dome of the star-studded black sky filled her with anawe and reverence which she had never known before.
Elise stood quietly beside her, with her hand through Patty's arm, andtogether the girls silently enjoyed the sombre beauty of the scene.
"Are you afraid, Patty?" asked Elise.
Patty laughed a little, and then she said: "I don't know as I can makeyou understand it, Elise, for it sounds so ridiculous when it's putinto words. But it's this way with me: In my imagination, when I thinkof this little cockleshell of a boat tossing on this great, deep, blackocean, which may engulf it at any moment, I have a certain feeling offear, which seems to belong to the situation. But really, my commonsense tells me that these staunch steamships are constructed for thevery purpose of carrying people safely across the sea, and that thereis almost no danger at all of their doing otherwise. So you see it onlydepends on whether I'm in a mood of poetical imagination or practicalcommon sense as to whether I'm afraid or not."
"Patty," said Elise, with a little sigh, "you are certainly clever. NowI never could have reasoned the thing out like that, and yet I see justwhat you mean."
"Throw bouquets at yourself, then, Elise," said Patty, laughing, "foryou're a great deal more clever to see what I mean than I am to say it!"
After a brisk walk up and down the deck for a time the girls tuckedthemselves snugly into their deck chairs by the side of the elderFarringtons.
"How do you like it so far, Patty?" asked Mr. Farrington.
"It's simply perfect," declared Patty enthusiastically. "It's awfullydifferent from what I thought it would be, and ever so much nicer. Ithought it would be impossible to walk across the deck without tumblingall over and catching hold of everything. But we can walk around justas if in a house, and everything is comfortable, even luxurious, andit's all so clean."
Mrs. Farrington laughed at this. "Of course it's clean, child," shesaid; "it's only on land that we are under the tyranny of dust anddirt. But as for tumbling around the deck, that may come later. Don'timagine the sea is never rougher than it is to-night."
"I hope it will be rougher," said Patty. "I don't want a fearful storm,but I would like a little pitching and tossing."
"You'll probably get it," said Mr. Farrington. "And now, my cherishedones, let us take a look in at the library and drawing-room, and thenlet us seek our staterooms."
So the parry adjourned to the brilliantly lighted saloon, where many ofthe passengers had congregated to spend the after-dinner hour. It was abeautiful apartment, even more gorgeous and elaborate than thedining-room, and furnished with inviting-looking easy-chairs, sofas,and divans of puffy upholstery. Gilt-framed tables were scattered aboutfor the benefit of the card-players, and attractively appointedwriting-desks made Patty suddenly realise that she wanted to writeletters home at once. But remembering that they could not possibly bemailed for ten days to come, she decided to defer them at least untilthe morrow.
Well-filled bookcases attracted the girls' attention, andnotwithstanding the large amount of reading matter they had of theirown, they were glad to see some well-known favourites behind the glassdoors.
Patty was surprised when Mr. Farrington proposed that they should allgo to the dining-room for a bit of supper before retiring. It seemed toher but a short time since they had dined; and yet she realised thesuggestion was not entirely unwelcome.
"Is it imperative that we shall eat more meals on sea than on land?"she inquired, as they took their places at the table.
"Not imperative, perhaps," the captain answered her, smiling, "butunless you seem to appreciate my cook's efforts to please you I shallhave to pitch him overboard; and it is not easy to find another chef inmid-ocean."
"Then," said Patty gaily, "I shall certainly do all I can to save thepoor man from a dreadful fate. And it does not seem to me that I shallhave any difficulty in keeping my part of the bargain." As Patty spokeshe was nibbling away with great satisfaction at a caviare sandwich andbestowing a pleased glance on a glass of orange sherbet which thesteward had just brought to her.
The captain was a large and important-looking personage, with the blackmoustache and imperiale of the true Frenchman. His manner was expansiveand very cordial; and as he had known the Farringtons for many years hewas quite ready to welcome Patty for their sake as well as her own.Indeed, he had taken an immediate liking to the pretty American girl,and as French captains are prone to make favourites among theirpassengers, Patty was immediately assigned in his chivalrous heart tosuch a position.
He bade her a pleasant good-night as she left the dining-room, and wasdelighted with her naive expressions of admiration and appreciation ofhis beautiful ship.
When the girls reached their stateroom they suddenly realised that theywere quite tired out after the excitements of the day, and were veryglad to let Lisette brush their hair and assist them in preparing forbed. As Patty nestled snugly between the coarse linen sheets she felt adrowsy enjoyment of the gentle rolling motion of the steamer, andalmost immediately fell into a sound, dreamless sleep.