"Sometimes a naughty story is justifiable; or, well, if you can"t conscientiously do it, let me know if he threatens to come up here and I"ll scoot off somewhere else."
"I think I see you! I"ll leave it to Jim. He"ll manage it diplomatically. And perhaps Bill won"t telephone."
"No, most likely not. But he may. He doesn"t know I"m here,--n.o.body does,--but I suppose this will be the first place anybody would suspect me of being."
"I think very likely. Come on, now, I"ll help you dress for lunch.
What a beautiful kimono! Where did you get that?"
"At the Sale last night. Oh, we had wonderful things. Everybody donated, you know, and then came and bought the things. Philip gave us some of Aunty Van Reypen"s bronzes and ivory carvings. I think we"ll make a lot of money."
"And you ran away the morning after! Didn"t you want to know how the funds summed up?"
"Oh, yes; but the house was in such a fearful state! Furniture all moved and things every which way. I was glad to disappear until it gets into shape again."
"And doesn"t Mrs. Fairfield or your father know where you are?"
"Well, I left a note for Nan, and I didn"t tell her just where I was going, so she could tell people that I hadn"t; but I gave her sufficient hints, so she can form a fairly correct notion of my destination."
"All right, Pattykins, I"ll look after you, and no one shall learn from me where you are,--least of all, that terrible ogre, Bill Farnsworth!"
Patty smiled, and the two friends went downstairs. Jim Kenerley was beaming with welcomes, and declared that he, too, would keep the secret of Patty"s presence under his roof, even at the point of the bayonet.
But, alas, for good intentions!
That afternoon, Kenerley sought his wife, consternation in every line of his good-looking countenance.
"Where"s Patty?" he asked, abruptly.
"I sent her off for a nap. She"s all tired out. Why?"
"Well, Farnsworth is on his way up here."
"What? Why did you let him come?"
"Couldn"t help it. You see it was this way. The clerk, or somebody at his hotel telephoned, and said that Mr. Farnsworth had suddenly decided to run up here, and that he hadn"t time to telephone and then get his train. So he instructed the clerk to get me and tell me Bill was on the way. He"ll be here a little after seven. What shall we do?"
"Mercy! I don"t know. Let me think. Patty is awfully angry with him about something, and I"ve promised her not to let him know where she is."
"Lovers" quarrel?"
"I don"t know. I haven"t had a real talk with Patty yet, she"s so f.a.gged out. I want her to rest up. But she says she"s bothered about Philip Van Reypen."
"Then depend upon it, it"s somebody else! Farnsworth, probably."
"She could do a lot worse than to marry Bill."
"Indeed she could! But, all the same, if Patty doesn"t want him here, he mustn"t come."
"That"s all very well, but how will you prevent it?"
"I don"t know. Meet him with a shotgun?"
"Now, be serious, Jim. We must protect Patty at any cost. Can"t we telegraph him on the train?"
"Not a chance. Do you think he knows she"s here?"
"He can"t know it. He may suspect it. Well, he"ll have to come, and he"ll have to stay over night; we can"t send him packing, with no decent excuse."
"Tell him Cook has the smallpox."
"Don"t be silly! I can manage it, I think. Yes, with your help, it can be done."
"My dear Adele, I offer my help in its entirety, and then some."
"I"ll need all that--maybe more. It"s no easy job, but I"ll try it, rather than have Patty disturbed."
"Might a mere man ask the nature of your plans?"
Adele Kenerley looked affectionately at her husband. "Yes, but you mustn"t hoot at them. Yours not to question why, yours not to make objection."
"Mine only to do or die, like those other heroes, I suppose."
"Yes, but you"re to do, not die. The die is cast! I"ve cast it. Now, stop fooling, Jim, and listen to me. Those two people shall be in this house at the same time, and neither will suspect that the other is here."
"Impossible!"
"There was a gentleman once, named Napoleon. He remarked, "If it is possible, it must be done. If it is impossible, it _shall_ be done!"
That"s my motto."
"Good for you, General! Go ahead. Command me, Madame!"
"Well, and now listen, Jim, and be serious. We"ll have two dinners tonight----"
"Whew! I can"t stand everything!"
"Silence, sir! We"ll have dinner at six; and then I"ll tuck Patty in bed early, to get her rest. Then, Bill will get here about seven, and we"ll have another dinner for him. I can look after tomorrow morning,---- Patty will breakfast in her room. Then, about eleven o"clock or noon, you must take Bill for a long motor ride, lunch somewhere on the road. I"ll have Patty lunch here with me. Then, I"ll put her away for an afternoon nap, and we must then have dinner for Bill and,--make him go home. I couldn"t keep it up any longer than that."
"I should say not! Regular Box and c.o.x game. But it may be we can put it over. I"ll do all I can. But s"pose he won"t go home tomorrow afternoon?"
"Make him. Even if you have to telephone to his hotel to send a hurry wire for him."
"Capital! I"ll do that, if I have to. All right, little woman, you act as Patty"s jailer, and I"ll look after Farnsworth."
And so, at five o"clock, Adele went to Patty"s room. She found that young woman, robed in her apple blossom gown, asleep, with her head on a much crumpled pillow. There were traces of tears on the pink cheeks, but the blue eyes were tightly closed.
"Wake up, Pattibelle," said Adele, gently patting her shoulder. "We"re to have an early dinner, "cause Jim has to go off to some meeting or other, and I thought you wouldn"t mind."
"Mind? Of course not," and Patty sprang up, very wide-awake. "I won"t dress much, Adele."