There it is, on that chair."
And sure enough, there was Nan"s mop of frizzed, flaxen hair hanging on a chair-back.
"But," said Patty, coming nearer, and still unable quite to comprehend it all, "why don"t you have any hair yourself?"
"Well, you see," said Nan, as she sealed and addressed the letter she had been writing, "I had typhoid fever just before I left home, and my hair came out so, that I had to have it all shaved off. So now I am wearing a wig until it grows again. But it is so warm to-day, I took my wig off for a few moments to rest my head."
Patty examined the wig with great interest.
"I think it"s wonderful," she said, "is it just like your own hair was?"
"No, indeed, I wanted a change. My own hair is very dark, almost black, and perfectly straight. So I bought this Flaxie Frizzle wig for a change. It"s becoming, don"t you think so? I have a red wig too,--of short, curly auburn hair. Sometimes I wear that."
Patty watched Nan curiously, as she put the wig on, securing it to her head by invisible springs.
"I never saw anybody with a wig before," she said, "and it surprises me so; but I came to ask you to go swimming with us."
"Can"t do it," said Nan; "I have two more letters to write, and then I"m going driving with the Perrys. They"re to call for me at four o"clock, and it"s after three now. You"ll have to go without me this time."
"All right," said Patty, backing out of the room, for her eyes were still fixed on the wonderful wig.
Then she rejoined her cousins, and they all ran to the bath-houses.
They had a fine bath, and were about ready to come out of the water when Nan appeared.
She was dressed in a fresh white pique suit, with blue ribbons at her throat and belt, and was looking very pretty but decidedly disappointed.
She walked out to the end of the narrow wooden pier, and the swimmers came up to talk to her.
Patty didn"t swim very well as yet, but she was learning, and Uncle Ted and Bob said she was getting along finely.
"I thought you were going out with the Perrys," cried b.u.mble.
"I was,--" said Nan, "but they didn"t come. I"ve been dressed and waiting for them half an hour, then I looked again at the note they sent me, and I made a mistake; it"s to-morrow they asked me to go. So I came down here, and I wish I was in the water with you."
"Come on in," said Bob.
"Too much trouble to get into my bathing-suit."
"Don"t do it," said b.u.mble; "we"re coming out now, anyway. But the water is fine, to-day, isn"t it, Patty?"
"Glorious!" gurgled Patty, as she floundered about in her frantic endeavors to swim. Suddenly, Nan s.n.a.t.c.hed off her wig, and dropped it down on the dock.
Then with dramatic gestures, she wrung her hands, waved them above her head, and cried out in agonized tones:
"I am desperate! No longer can I bear this sad and weary life. I _will_ end it!" Apparently in the last stages of despair, she strode to the end of the dock, and threw herself headlong into the water.
Patty was aghast, but Bob and b.u.mble were accustomed to Nan"s mad tricks, and they shouted with laughter.
In a moment the bald head reappeared above the water, for Nan could dive and swim wonderfully well.
"I"m afraid my dress will get wet," she said, "but when I saw you all having such fun, I just couldn"t help jumping in."
"Crazy Nan," said b.u.mble, "you"ve spoiled your clean dress, and you can"t swim with your shoes on, anyway, can you?"
"Not very well," said Nan, regretfully, "and they"re my best shoes, too.
But I don"t care; I"ll get a bath and have some fun."
Later on, the four young people, much refreshed and exhilarated, a.s.sembled in the music-room to wait for dinner.
Aunt Grace, whose sprained ankle was getting better, and who could now limp around with the aid of a crutch, was there too.
"Geranium Blossom! but I"m hungry," exclaimed Bob. "Mumsey, do you s"pose we"re going to have any dinner to-night?"
"I think so, my boy," returned Mrs. Barlow, placidly, "but go and get a biscuit if you"d like one."
"I"ll tell you what," said Nan, "let"s have tea while we wait. There"ll be plenty of time, for Eunice has just begun to lay the table for dinner."
"All right," said b.u.mble. "Patty, if you"ll get the hot water, I"ll cut up a lemon."
"But there aren"t any lemons," said her mother. "I looked for one to-day, and they"re all out."
"There aren"t any biscuits, either," said Bob, coming back from a fruitless quest; "the box is empty."
"And there doesn"t seem to be any sugar," said Nan, peering into the sugar-bowl on the tea-table.
"Well, I"ll tell you what," said b.u.mble, "let"s pretend to have tea. You know some people say, if you think you have anything, you have it."
"All right," said Patty, who dearly loved to pretend, "I"ll make the tea."
So she pretended to measure out some tea from the caddy, and put it in the teapot. Then she poured imaginary water from the teakettle upon it, and covered the teapot tightly with the cosey. After allowing it a little time to "draw" she pretended to pour it into cups, in which b.u.mble had already placed imaginary sugar-lumps and bits of lemon.
Bob offered his services as waiter, and pa.s.sed the cups to his mother and Nan, and also to imaginary guests, who, he pretended, were sitting on the chairs and sofa.
"This tea is delicious," said Aunt Grace, stirring in her empty cup, and sipping from her empty spoon.
"Yes," said Patty, "it is real Russian tea. Do have some more, won"t you?"
"Indeed, I will," said Aunt Grace, and Patty poured her another empty cupful.
"Pa.s.s the biscuit, b.u.mble," said Bob, and his sister carried around the empty biscuit-jar, while the guests helped themselves to nothing.
Uncle Ted came in in the midst of the tea joke, and drank several cups of air, until Patty finally peeped into the teapot, and said, "You"ll all have to stop, for there isn"t any tea left."
Bob carried the cups back to the tea-table, and all declared they had had a very nice tea-party.
"But why don"t you have a tea-party, girls?" said Uncle Ted, "a real one, I mean. Invite all the neighbors and have a nice spread. I"ll decorate a bit with j.a.panese lanterns, and we"ll make it a general festivity."
"Oh, lovely!" cried b.u.mble, "if mamma is well enough to stand the excitement."