If you were half-nice, you"d think you _ought_ to tell me about yours."
Patricia"s voice sounded grieved, and Arabella wavered.
Ought she to tell? She knew she ought not, but Patricia urged again.
"And I was going to say we could each wear a blue ribbon on the third b.u.t.tonhole of our dominoes, so we"d know each other the minute we got there. And, say," she continued, "have you ever been all over the stone house?"
"Not in every room," said Arabella. "Have you been in the observatory?"
"The _what_?" asked Arabella.
Patricia was sure that she had made a mistake.
"The room where the flowers are?" she said.
"Oh, the _conservatory_, you mean," Arabella said, grandly. "No, I haven"t been in there, but I"ve seen the flowers from the doorway, and they"re lovely."
"Well, they"re twice as lovely when you"re right in the room with them.
I _know_, because I"ve been in there!" said Patricia.
"_When_?" queried Arabella.
"The last time I was there," Patricia replied, "and _now_ I"ll tell you something; there"s something in that room that I know about, and not another girl knows it but me. I won"t tell you what it is now, but at the party I"ll do better than _tell_ you; I"ll _show_ you. We"ll go out into the hall when n.o.body is looking at us, and we"ll go into the what-you-call-it,--"
"The conservatory," prompted Arabella.
"The conservatory," repeated Patricia, "and then you"ll see _what_ you"ll see! I _promise_ to surprise you."
"Don"t you tell if I tell you," said Arabella.
"No, "_ndeed_," Patricia agreed.
"Well, Aunt Matilda said she wouldn"t let me wear anything _flighty_, so she"s made me a dress like a Puritan, and my domino is tan color."
Arabella"s curiosity forced her to tell all that Patricia longed to know, because she was simply wild to visit the conservatory, and find out what it was that Patricia could show.
With vows of secrecy they parted, Patricia walking slowly homeward; Arabella running all the way.
"Aunt Matilda"ll say something, I guess, when she sees me," she whispered as she ran, "First thing she"ll ask where I"ve been, and oh, I never thought to take those horrid pills! The bottle is in my pocket, and I"ve eaten candy and ice cream! It"s lucky she don"t know _that_; if she did she"d say, "I shouldn"t wonder if that child had fits before morning!" She don"t know it, and p"r"aps I won"t have the fits."
CHAPTER VIII
THE PARTY
Lights blazed from every window of the stone house, the great garden was brilliantly lighted, even the twinkling stars overhead seemed brighter than usual, as if they knew of the party, and were laughing as they watched the little guests arriving.
Lightly they stepped from their carriages, and flew up the steps as if their feet had wings.
What was their surprise to see the manservant, at the door as usual, to be sure, but in a fine old suit of livery that made him look like an English serving-man of many, many years ago.
Yes, there was the maid in the hall in a cute Watteau costume, a tiny lace cap on her head, and a kerchief over her flowered gown. She presented her salver, and each little guest laid a card upon it, with the name of the character which she represented. These were merely to be kept as souvenirs, that later Dorothy might look them over, and see what a variety of noted personages had called to do her honor.
They were not to be announced, for while the names of the girls"
costumes would not tell _which_ girl wore it, the characters that the boys took would of course be male personages.
So the little guests tripped through the great hall, and into the long drawing-room, where another surprise awaited them.
There stood handsome Mr. Dainty in royal robes, as a king, his beautiful wife in velvet and ermine as his queen, and gentle Aunt Charlotte as lady-in-waiting.
How quaint the little figures looked in their long, cloak-like dominoes of red, blue, pink, green, white, lilac, and indeed every known color and tint.
As they each extended a little hand, they peeped at host and hostess through the eyeholes in their dominoes, and if they were recognized, they did not know it.
Now and then a ripple of stifled laughter told how greatly they enjoyed their disguise.
When all had been greeted, Mrs. Dainty raised her sceptre, and when the little figures were all attention she spoke.
"Dear little subjects, we are happy to have you with us, and for a short time we wish you to wear the long dominoes which keep us guessing who you are. And now we will listen to some music, and while you listen you shall enjoy a wealth of royal bonbons."
At a signal from the queen the little Watteau maid entered, followed by five other maids in similar costumes, each bearing trays of candies.
At the same moment sweet strains of music sounded through the room, coming from behind a group of palms and flowering plants.
The bonbons were delicious, and the merry music set little feet tapping beneath the long cloaks.
Two figures sat very close together. One wore a bright yellow cloak, the other domino was a quiet tan color. They were Arabella and Patricia, and while they sat eating their bonbons, they talked softly, that no one might hear them. A little figure in a long red cloak leaned against the wall, listening to the music, and at the same time watching the two who talked together.
It was Reginald who watched them, and his eyes twinkled as he whispered: "I just _know_ that those two are girls, and they"ve gone and told each other who they are. _I"d_ like to know who they are, too, and I guess I"ll walk over there."
He made his way across the room, and soon was standing just behind them.
The musicians were playing a sprightly polka. A triangle marked the measures, and Reginald"s red shoe tapped the floor beneath his long red cloak.
The two who sat upon the divan were talking in what they thought to be a very low tone, but when suddenly the music ceased, Patricia"s voice could be plainly heard.
"Why, Arabella!" she said, and then, surprised at hearing her own voice, she said no more.
Reginald laughed softly, and Patricia turned to look at him, but of course could not guess who the red-cloaked figure might be. Oh, it was fun to be hiding behind the gay-colored dominoes! It was almost like hide-and-seek.
And now the beautiful queen was speaking.
"We will have a pretty march now," she said. "My king and I will lead, my lady-in-waiting will follow me, while you, my merry subjects, shall form, two by two, and march to grandest music. After the march, the dominoes shall be cast aside, and then--" she paused, then laughing gaily she concluded, "_then_ I shall know who my guests are."
The trumpet"s blare told all to be ready! The king and queen came down from their red velvet throne, the stately lady-in-waiting followed, and then the bright-hued figures, two by two, marched like a moving rainbow after the tall figures who led. Around the great drawing-room in graceful figures the gorgeous little procession moved. How bright their colors appeared, the light shimmering upon a pink cloak beside a blue one, a green cloak walking with a yellow one, a scarlet one with a white, a buff one with bright cherry-hued domino!