CHAPTER II
WEDDING BELLS
At last the wedding day arrived, and a brighter or more sunshiny daycould not have been asked for by the most exacting of brides.
It was to be an evening wedding, but from early in the morning there wasa constant succession of exciting events. The last touches were being putto the decorations, belated presents were coming in, house guests werearriving, messengers coming and going, and through it all Mrs. Allenbustled about, supremely happy in watching the culminating success of herelaborate plans. Patty looked at her with a wondering admiration, for shealways admired capability, and Mrs. Allen was exhibiting what mightalmost be called generalship in her house that day.
Of course, Patty had no care or responsibility, and nothing to do butenjoy herself, so she did this thoroughly.
In the morning Marian and Frank Elliott came. They were staying at theBarlows', and Mr. Fairfield was staying there too.
It sometimes seemed to Patty that her father ought to have played a moreprominent part in all the preliminary festivities, but Mrs. Allen calmlytold her, in Mr. Fairfield's presence, that a bridegroom had no part inwedding affairs until the time of the ceremony itself.
Mr. Fairfield laughed good-humouredly, and replied that he was quitesatisfied to be left out of the mad rush, until the real occasion came.
Like Nan, Mr. Fairfield would have preferred a quiet wedding, but Mrs.Allen utterly refused to hear of such a thing. Nan was her only daughter,and this her only chance to arrange an entertainment such as her souldelighted in. Mr. Allen was willing to indulge his wife in her wishes,and was exceedingly hospitable by nature. Moreover, he took great pridein his charming daughter, and wanted everything done that could in anyway contribute to the success or add to the beauty of her weddingcelebration.
Patty fluttered around the house in a sort of inconsequent delight. Nowin the present-room, looking over the beautiful collection, now chattingwith her cousins, or other friends, now strolling through the greatparlours with their wonderful decorations of banked roses andgarland-draped ceilings.
Dinner was early that night, as the ceremony was to be performed at eighto'clock, and after dinner Patty flew to her room to don her own beautifulnew gown.
This dress delighted Patty's beauty-loving heart. It was a white tullesprinkled with silver, and its soft, dainty glitter seemed to Patty likemoonlight on the snow. Her hair was done low on her neck, in a mostbecoming fashion, and her only ornament was a necklace of pearls whichhad belonged to her mother, and which her father had given her that veryday. The first Mrs. Fairfield had died when Patty was a mere baby, so ofcourse she had no recollection of her, but she had always idealised thepersonality of her mother, and she took the beautiful pearls from herfather with almost a feeling of reverence as she touched them.
"I'm so glad it's Nan you're going to marry, Papa," she said. "I wouldn'tlike it as well if it were somebody who would really try to be astepmother to me, but dear old Nan is more like a sister, and I'm so gladshe's ours."
"I'm glad you're pleased, Patty, dear, and I only hope Nan will neverregret marrying a man so much older than herself."
"You're not old, Papa Fairfield," cried Patty indignantly; "I won't haveyou say such a thing! Why, you're not forty yet, and Nan is twenty-four.Why, that's hardly any difference at all."
"So Nan says," said Mr. Fairfield, smiling, "so I dare say myarithmetic's at fault."
"Of course it is," said Patty, "and you don't look a bit old either. Why,you look as young as Mr. Hepworth, and he looks nearly as young asKenneth, and Kenneth's only two years older than I am."
"That sounds a little complicated, Patty, but I'm sure you mean it as acompliment, so I'll take it as such."
A little before eight o'clock, Patty, in her shimmering gown, wentdancing downstairs.
The rooms were already crowded with guests, and the first familiar facePatty saw was that of Mr. Hepworth, who came toward her with a glad smileof greeting.
"How grown-up we are looking to-night," he said. "I shall have to paintyour portrait all over again, and you must wear that gown, and we willcall it, 'A Moonlight Sonata,' and send it to the exhibition."
"That will be lovely!" exclaimed Patty; "but can you paint silver?"
"Well, I could try to get a silvery effect, at least."
"That wouldn't do; it must be the real thing. I think you could only getit right by using aluminum paint like they paint the letter-boxes with."
"Yes," said Mr. Hepworth, "that would be realistic, at least, but I see acrowd of your young friends coming this way, and I feel quite sure theymean to carry you off. So won't you promise me a dance or two, when thetime comes for that part of the programme?"
"Yes, indeed," said Patty, "and there is going to be dancing after thesupper."
Mr. Hepworth looked after Patty, as, all unconscious of his gaze, shewent on through the rooms with the young friends who had claimed her.
Gilbert Hepworth had long realised his growing interest in Patty, andacknowledged to himself that he loved the girl devotedly. But he hadnever by word or look intimated this, and had no intention of doing sountil she should be some years older. He, himself, was thirty-four, andhe knew that must seem old indeed to a girl of seventeen. So he reallyhad little hope that he ever could win her for his own, but he allowedhimself the pleasure of her society whenever opportunity offered, and itpleased him to do for her such acts of courtesy and kindness as could notbe construed into special attentions, or indication of an unwelcomedevotion.
Among the group that surrounded Patty was Kenneth Harper, a college boywho was a good chum of Patty's and a favourite with Mr. Fairfield. Marianand Frank were with them, also Bob and Bumble, the Barlow Twins, and anumber of the Philadelphia young people.
This group laughed and chatted merrily until the orchestra struck up thewedding march, and an expectant hush fell upon the assembly.
At Nan's special request, there were no bridesmaids, and when the brideentered with her father, she was, as Patty had prophesied, a perfectpicture in her beautiful wedding gown.
Mr. Fairfield seemed to think so too, and his happy smile as he came tomeet her, gave Patty a thrill of gladness to think that this happinesshad come to her father. His life had been lonely, and she was glad thatit was to be shared by such a truly sweet and lovely woman as Nan.
Patty was the first to congratulate the wedded pair, and Mr. Hepworth,who was an usher, escorted her up to them that she might do so. Pattykissed both the bride and the bridegroom with whole-hearted affection,and after a few merry words turned away to give place to others.
"Come on, Patty," said Kenneth, "a whole crowd of us are going to campout in one of those jolly cozy corners on the verandah, and have oursupper there."
So Patty went with the merry crowd, and found that Kenneth had selected aconveniently located spot near one of the dining-room windows.
"I'm so glad it's supper time," she said, as they settled themselvescomfortably in their chosen retreat. "I've been so busy and excitedto-day that I've hardly eaten a thing, and I'm starving with hunger. Andnow that I've got my father safely married, and off my hands, I feelrelieved of a great responsibility, and can eat my supper with a mind atrest."
"When I'm married," said Helen Barlow, "I mean to have a wedding exactlylike this one. I think it's the loveliest one I ever saw."
"You won't, though, Bumble," said Patty, laughing. "In the first place,you'll forget to order your wedding gown until a day or two before theoccasion, and of course it won't be done. And then you'll forget to sendout the invitations, so of course you'll have no guests. And I'm sureyou'll forget to invite the minister, so there'll be no ceremony,anyway."
Bumble laughed good-naturedly at this, for the helter-skelter ways of theBarlow family were well known to everybody.
"It would be that way," she said, "if I looked after things myself, but Ishall expect you, Patty, to take entire charge of the occasion, and theneverything will go along like clockwork."
> "Are you staying long in Philadelphia, Miss Fairfield?" asked EthelBanks, a Philadelphia girl, who lived not far from the Allens.
"A few days longer," said Patty. "I have to go back to New York nextTuesday, and then no more gaiety for me. I don't know how I shall survivesuch a sudden change, but after this mad whirl of parties and things, Ihave to come down to plain everyday studying of lessons,--but we won'ttalk about that now; it's a painful subject to me at any time, butespecially when I'm at a party."
"Me, too," said Kenneth. "If ever I get through college, I don't thinkI'll want to see a book for the next twenty years."
"I didn't know you hated your lessons so, Kenneth," said Marian. "Ithought Patty was the only one of my friends who was willing to avow thatshe was like that 'Poor little Paul, who didn't like study at all.'"
"Yes, I'm a Paul too," said Kenneth, "and I may as well own up to it."
"But you don't let it interfere with your work," said Patty; "you digjust as hard as if you really enjoyed it."
"So do you," said Kenneth, "but some day after we have both beengraduated, I suppose we'll be glad that we did our digging after all."
A little later, Mr. and Mrs. Fairfield went away, amid showers of_confetti_, and after that there was an hour of informal dancing.
Patty was besieged with partners asking for a dance, and as there was noprogramme, she would make no promises, but accepted whoever might ask herfirst at the beginning of each dance. She liked to dance with Kenneth,for his step suited hers perfectly, and her cousin Bob was also anexceptionally good dancer.
But Patty showed no partiality, and enjoyed all the dances with her usualenthusiasm.
Suddenly she remembered that she had promised Mr. Hepworth a dance, buthe had not come to claim it. Wondering, she looked around to see where hemight be, and discovered him watching her from across the room.
There was an amused smile on his face, and Patty went to him, and askedhim in her direct way, why he didn't claim his dance.
"You are so surrounded," he said, "by other and more attractive partners,that I hated to disturb you."
"Nonsense," said Patty, without a trace of self-consciousness orembarrassment. "I like you better than lots of these Philadelphia boys.Come on."
"Thank you for the compliment," said Mr. Hepworth, as they began todance, "but you seemed to be finding these Philadelphia boys veryagreeable."
"They're nice enough," said Patty, carelessly, "and some of them are gooddancers, but not as good as you are, Mr. Hepworth. Do you know you dancelike a--like a--will-o'-the-wisp."
"I never met a will-o'-the-wisp, but I'm sure they must be delightfulpeople, to judge from the enthusiastic tone in which you mention them. Doyou never get tired of parties and dancing, Patty?"
"Oh, no, indeed. I love it all. But you see I haven't had very much. I'venever been to but two or three real dancing-parties in my life. Why, I'veonly just outgrown children's parties. I may get tired of it all, aftertwo or three seasons, but as yet it's such a novelty to me that I enjoyevery speck of it."
Mr. Hepworth suddenly realised how many social seasons he had beenthrough, and how far removed he was from this young debutante in hisviews on such matters. He assured himself that he need never hope shewould take any special interest in him, and he vowed she should neverknow of his feelings toward her. So he adapted his mood to hers, andchatted gaily of the events of the evening. Patty told him of the manypleasures that had been planned for her, during the rest of her visit atMrs. Allen's, and he was truly glad that the girl was to have a taste ofthe social gaiety that so strongly appealed to her.
"Miss Fairfield," said Ethel Banks, coming up to Patty, as the musicstopped, "I've been talking with my father, and he says if you and Mr.and Mrs. Allen will go, he'll take us all in the automobile down toAtlantic City for the week-end."
"How perfectly gorgeous!" cried Patty, her eyes dancing with delight."I'd love to go. I've never been in an automobile but a few times in mylife, and never for such a long trip as that. Let's go and ask Mrs. Allenat once."
Without further thought of Mr. Hepworth, save to give him a smiling nodas she turned away, Patty went with Ethel to ask Mrs. Allen about theprojected trip.
Mrs. Allen was delighted to go, and said she would also answer for herhusband. So it was arranged, and the girls went dancing back to Mr. Banksto tell him so. Ethel's father was a kind-hearted, hospitable man, whoseprincipal thought was to give pleasure to his only child. Ethel had nomother, and Mrs. Allen had often before chaperoned the girl on similarexcursions to the one now in prospect.
As Mr. Banks was an enthusiastic motorist, and drove his own car, therewas ample room for Mr. and Mrs. Allen and Patty.
Soon the wedding guests departed, and Patty was glad to take off herpretty gown and tumble into bed.
She slept late the next morning, and awoke to find Mrs. Allen sitting onthe bed beside her, caressing her curly hair.
"I hate to waken you," said that lady, "but it's after ten o'clock, andyou know you are to go to your Cousin Helen's to spend the day. I wantyou to come home early this evening, as I have a little party planned foryou, and so it's only right that you should start as soon as possiblethis morning. Here is a nice cup of cocoa and a bit of toast. Let me slipa kimono around you, while you breakfast."
In her usual busy way, Mrs. Allen fluttered about, while she talked, andafter putting a kimono round her visitor, she drew up beside her a smalltable, containing a dainty breakfast tray.
"It's just as well you're going away to-day," Mrs. Allen chattered on,"because the house is a perfect sight. Not one thing is in its place, andabout a dozen men have already arrived to try to straighten out thechaos. So, as you may judge, my dear, since I have to superintend allthese things, I'll really get along better without you. Now, you getdressed, and run right along to the Barlows'. James will take you over inthe pony cart, and he'll come for you again at eight o'clock thisevening. Mind, now, you're not to stay a minute after eight o'clock, forI have invited some young people here to see you. I'll send the carriageto-night, and then you can bring your Barlow cousins back with you."
As Mrs. Allen rattled on, she had been fussing around the room gettingout Patty's clothes to wear that day, and acting in such a generallymotherly manner that Patty felt sure she must be missing Nan, and shecouldn't help feeling very sorry for her, and told her so.
"Yes," said Mrs. Allen, "it's awful. I've only just begun to realise thatI've lost my girl; still it had to come, I suppose, sooner or later, andI wouldn't put a straw in the way of Nan's happiness. Well, I shall getused to it in time, I suppose, and then sometimes I shall expect Nan tocome and visit me."