CHAPTER VI
HERENDEN HALL
"There, Kitty lady," said Patty, as she reached the Savoy on her returnfrom the Garden Party, "there's a nosegay from your affectionate father."
Lady Hamilton stared at the bunch of sweet peas that Patty held out toher.
"My word!" she exclaimed, "you are the most amazing child! I suppose hesent them to me just about as much as I sent him those valley lilies youtook to him the other day."
Lady Kitty guessed so near the truth that Patty felt a littlecrestfallen.
"It was more than that," she said. "I asked him to send some flowers toyou, and he bought these purposely."
"Did he select sweet peas, himself?"
"Yes."
"That means something, then, Patty dear; for father well knows myfondness for these flowers. Well, you're a dear, good little girl to tryto heal the breach, but I can't feel much encouragement. Father is tooold and too obstinate ever to forgive me."
"And you're too young and too obstinate to go and beg his forgiveness!"
"Indeed I am! Fancy my meekly returning, like a prodigal daughter, when Ihaven't done anything wrong!"
"You don't deserve a reconciliation," cried Patty; "you're a hard-heartedlittle thing,--for all you look so soft and amiable."
"Yes," said Lady Kitty, demurely; "I inherited my father's disposition."
"Indeed, you did; and you'll grow more like him every day you live, ifyou don't try to be more forgiving."
"I believe you're right, Patty; and perhaps some day I will try. But nowlet me tell you what's been happening. While you were away, I had a callfrom that very charming stepmother of yours. And this was the burden ofher visit. It seems that she and your father are invited to spend theweek-end at a country house, and the question was, where to pack you awayfor safe-keeping while they're gone."
"And they're going to let me stay with you!" exclaimed Patty, claspingher hands and assuming an ecstatically happy expression.
"Well, Mrs. Nan seemed to think that I could keep you in order, thoughI'm not so sure of it myself. But the strange part is, I also am invitedfor this same week-end to a most delightful country house, and I havealready accepted."
Patty's face fell.
"What is to become of poor little me?" she said. "I don't want to staywith Mrs. Betham."
"No; I've a plan for you. And it's this. I want to take you with me toHerenden Hall, where I'm going, and,--Mrs. Nan says I may."
"Oh, Kitty! You duck! How perfectly lovely!" Patty flew at her friend,and nearly strangled her in a spasmodic embrace.
"You see," went on Lady Hamilton, when she had regained her breath, "I'mso well acquainted with the Herendens, that I can ask an invitation foryou; and though you're not really 'out' yet, it will give you a glimpseof the nicest kind of English country-house life."
"It's great!" declared Patty. "I'm wild with excitement. But I care moreabout being with you than I do about the house-party."
"You won't when you get there. They're really charming people, and theHall is one of the finest old estates in England."
"Shall I have to have some new frocks?"
"We'll look over your wardrobe, and see. I fancy the ones you alreadyhave will do. You know you'll be looked upon as scarcely more than aschoolgirl, and you must wear simple, frilly muslins and broad-leafedhats."
"I can even live through that! I don't care what I wear if I'm with you.Three whole days! Will it be three days, Kitty?"
"Three days or more. If they politely ask us to remain a day or twolonger we might do so. They're old friends of mine, do you see? And Ihaven't been there for years, so they'll be glad to see us."
"To see you, you mean. They don't know me, so how can they be glad to seeme?"
"Oh, you must,--what is your idiotic American phrase? You must 'makegood'!"
"I will," said Patty, laughing to hear the phrase from an Englishwoman,and then she ran away to her own apartment, to talk over affairs withNan.
"It's a great piece of good fortune," said Nan, "that you're such goodfriends with Lady Hamilton, for Fred and I couldn't take you with us, andwhat would have become of you?"
"Oh, I always land on my feet," returned Patty, "I must have been bornunder a lucky star."
"I believe you were, Pattykins."
"And won't I have the time of my life at Herenden Hall----"
"Oh, Patty, Patty, you must stop using slang. They'll never ask you toHerenden Hall again if you behave like a wild Indian."
"But you see, Stepmother, they look upon me as an infant anyhow, so I mayas well have some fun."
"But don't be a hoyden, and do remember that American slang isn't admiredover here."
"Yas'm; I'll be good. And I'll say 'Really?' and 'Only fancy!' tillthey'll think I'm the daughter of a hundred Earls."
"I'm not at all worried about your manners," said Nan, serenely. "Youusually behave pretty well, but you will talk American instead ofEnglish."
"Well, I'll try to make myself understood, at all events. And you'regoing to have a lovely time, too, aren't you? Isn't it fun! I do like tohave all my friends as happy as I am. I suppose you and father will belike two young turtle-doves off on your honeymoon trip."
"Oh, we're always that, even when there's a great, big girl like youaround to make us seem old."
"Well, if you behave as well as you look, I won't be ashamed of you."Patty gazed critically at Nan, and then added, "Though your nose doesseem to turn up more than it used to."
Whereupon Nan threw a sofa-pillow at her, which Patty caught and stuffedbehind her own curly head.
The Saturday of their departure was a beautiful, bright day, and it wasabout noon when Patty and Lady Hamilton, accompanied by the latter'smaid, took the train from Victoria Station.
It was a long ride to their destination in Kent, and not an especiallyinteresting one, but Patty, in the companionship of her dear friend, wasentirely happy. They chatted gaily as the train rolled from one Englishtown to another. At Robertsbridge they had to change to a funny littlerailroad, which had the strangest cars Patty had ever seen.
They were almost like freight cars, with benches along the sides. Therewere no tickets, and presently the guard came in to collect their fares,as if in a street-car.
Moreover the luggage had been tumbled in without check or paster, andPatty wondered if anybody ever could pick out their own again.
"Your regular first-class coaches are funny enough," she said to LadyHamilton, "but they are comfortable. This box we're in is like a cattlepen."
"Oh, no," laughed Lady Hamilton; "this isn't bad at all. You see it'sonly a tiny branch road, running to some little hamlets, and it's notmuch used. There are only about two trains each way every day."
This gave Patty a different idea of the little railroad, and she began tofeel a more personal interest in it. They rolled slowly through thehop-growing country, and though the scenery was not grand, it waspicturesque. Patty said it was like a panorama of "The Angelus." Theyreached their station at about five o'clock, and found a fine openbarouche awaiting them, and a wagon for their trunks.
The footman greeted them deferentially, and asked them to pick out theirluggage from the lot that had been dumped on the station platform.
"I can't see either of my trunks," said Patty. "So I suppose I'd bettertake the ones I like best of these others."
"Nonsense," said Lady Hamilton; "yours must be here somewhere. Lookaround, Marie; you know Miss Fairfield's boxes."
"Yes, my Lady; but they are not here."
Sure enough, they weren't there, and as Patty was certain they had beenput on the train, she concluded they had been carried on.
"What can I do?" she cried. "Can we telephone to the next station andhave them sent back?"
But in that small station, merely a tiny box, there was no telephone.
The impassive coachman and footman from Herenden Hall seemed to have noadvice to offer, so there was nothing to do but to proceed to the house.
&nb
sp; Patty was distressed at the outlook.
"Oh, Kitty," she said; "I can't go to dinner at all! Of course I couldn'tappear in this travelling costume, and I'll have to put on one of yournegligees, and eat dinner all alone in my room!"
The prospect was appalling, but neither of them could think of any helpfor it.
"Has Lady Herenden any daughters about my age?" Patty asked, after a fewmoments' thought.
"No, indeed. She and Lord Herenden have no children. But if there are anyyoung girls there as guests, you might borrow a frock for to-night.Surely they'll get your things by to-morrow."
They drove into the park, through great gates, and past various lodges.The wonderful old trees waved above their heads; the marvellous lawnsstretched away in rolling slopes; and the well-kept road wound along, nowover a bridge, now under an arch until they paused at the noble oldentrance of Herenden Hall.
Liveried servants seemed to appear, as if by magic, from all directionsat once. Dogs came, barking a noisy welcome, and, following Lady Hamiltonacross the terrace and into the great entrance hall, Patty found herselfbeing presented to a lovely young woman, almost as beautiful as LadyHamilton herself.
"You must be the greatest chums," Lady Hamilton was saying, "for MissFairfield is one of my dearest friends, and I want you to adore eachother."
"We will!" said Lady Herenden and Patty, at the same moment, and thenthey all laughed, and the guests were at once shown to their rooms.
After a bewildering route through several branching halls, Patty foundthat to her had been assigned a large and pleasant room, which looked outupon the rose-garden. On one side it communicated with Lady Hamilton'sroom, and on the other opened into a dainty dressing-room and bath. Itwas all enchanting, and Patty's gaze rested admiringly upon the chintzdraperies and Dresden ornaments, when she heard a tap at her door.Answering, she found a trim maid, who courtesied and said: "I'm Susan,Miss. Will you give me the keys of your boxes, and I'll unpack them."
Patty almost laughed at this casual request, in the face of what seemedto her a tragedy.
"Susan," she said, "here are the keys, but you can't unpack my boxes forthey haven't come."
"Lor', Miss; they must be downstairs. I'll have them sent up."
"No--wait, Susan; they're not downstairs. They didn't come on the train."
"Lor', Miss, whatever will you do?"
The girl's eyes grew big and troubled. Here was a dreadful situationindeed! Already Susan felt drawn toward the pretty young American girl,and she was aghast at the outlook of a dinner party with no party frock.
"I can't go to dinner at all, Susan," said Patty, dejectedly. "You mustbring me a tray up here--though I don't feel like eating."
"Not go to dinner, Miss? Oh, what a pity! It's a grand dinner to-night.The Earl of Ruthven is here, and it's one of her ladyship's greatestdinners of the season."
The good Susan looked so concerned, and her face was so anxious, that itwent straight to Patty's heart. To her mind there came a vivid andtantalising remembrance of her exquisite dinner frock, of whitechiffon, embroidered with tiny sprays of blossoms--a soft sash andshoulder-knots--one of the loveliest dresses she had ever had, and with asob she threw herself on to the couch and indulged in a few foolish butcomforting tears.
"There, there, Miss," said Susan, sympathisingly, "don't ee take on so.Maybe we can find summat for ee."
When Susan was excited or troubled, she lapsed into her old dialect,which she was striving to outgrow.
"You can't find anything, I know," said Patty, sitting up, and lookingthe picture of woe. "There are no very young ladies in the house, arethere, Susan?"
"No, Miss, none so young as yourself, nor near it."
"And I can't wear this," went on Patty, looking at the silk blouse thatwas part of her travelling gown.
"Lor' no, Miss; not to a dinner!"
"Then what?"
"Then what, indeed, Miss!"
Patty and Susan faced each other, at last in a full realisation of thehopelessness of the situation, when, after a light tap at the door, LadyHamilton came in.
She laughed outright at the tragic attitude of the two, and knew at oncewhat they were troubled about.
"Listen to me, Pattypet," she said. "Am I your fairy godmother, or am Inot?"
"You are," said Patty, with an air of conviction, and feeling sure thatLady Hamilton was about to help her out of her troubles, somehow.
"Well, I've carefully considered the case. I've sent Marie to canvass thehouse for clothes suitable for a mademoiselle of seventeen."
"Nearly eighteen," murmured Patty.
"It doesn't matter. There isn't what's known as a 'misses' costume'beneath this roof. Now, I simply refuse to let you be absent from thisdinner. It will be both a pleasure and an education to you to see thisespecial kind of a formal function, and probably you'll not often have achance. They've sent a man and a wagon over to the next station, severalmiles away for your boxes; that's the way they do things here. But hecan't get back until long after the dinner hour. So listen, to mycommand, dictum, fiat--call it what you please, but this is what you'reto do."
"I'll do anything you say, Kitty Lady, if it's to go to bed at once, andsleep soundly till morning."
"Nothing of the sort. You must and shall attend this dinner. And--you'regoing to wear one of my gowns!"
"Yours?"
"Yes. We're so nearly the same size that it will fit you quite wellenough. I've picked out the simplest one, a white Irish point. It's cutprincess, but all my gowns are. I'm sure Marie can make it fit youperfectly, with a few pins or a stitch here and there."
"Oh, it will fit well enough, but, Kitty, won't I be the grown-up! I'venever worn a real train in my life!"
"Of course it's a lot too old for you, and truly, I hate to have youappear in a gown like that. But what else can we do? I won't let you missthe dinner--and after all, it doesn't matter so much. After this visit Idoubt if you'll ever see these people again, and let them think you'refive or six years older than you are. Who cares?"
"I don't," said Patty, gleefully. "I think it will be fun. I'll have myhair piled high on my head. Can you do it for me, Sarah?"
"Oh, yes, Miss. I'm a hair-dresser and I'm that glad you're going todinner."