Patty looked at him, not quite comprehending.
"You went to see daddy?" she said, wonderingly; "he never told me."
"Why should he? Don"t you understand, dear? I went to him to ask his permission to tell you that I love you, and I want you for my wife. And your father said that I might tell you. And now,--darling----"
"And now it"s up to me?" Patty tried to speak lightly.
"Exactly that, Patty," and Kenneth"s face was grave and tender. "It"s up to you, dear. The happiness of my whole life is up to you,--here and now. What"s the answer?"
Patty sat still a moment, and fairly blinked her eyes in her endeavour to realise the situation.
"Ken," she said at last, in a small, far-away voice, "are you--are you--are you proposing to me?"
"I sure am!" and Kenneth"s head nodded a firm a.s.sent; "the sooner you get that fact into your head, the better. Patty, DEAR little Patty, tell me,--don"t keep me waiting----"
"But, Ken, I don"t WANT to be proposed to,--and least of all, by YOU!"
"Patty, do you mean that?" and Harper"s strained, anxious face took on a look of despair.
"Oh, no, NO, I don"t mean THAT! At least, not in the way you think! I only mean we"ve been such good friends for so long, you"re the last one I should think of marrying!"
"And who is the first one you think of marrying?"
Patty burst into laughter. "Oh, Ken, you"re so funny when you"re sarcastic! Don"t be THAT, whatever you are!"
"I won"t; Patty, darling, tell me you love me a little bit,--or just that you"ll let me love you,--and I"ll NEVER be sarcastic! I"ll only be tender, and gentle, and loving,--and anything and everything you want me to be!"
"Can you?"
The eager light faded from Kenneth"s eyes, as he answered: "No, I"m afraid I can"t, dear. I know as well as you do, that I haven"t the kind of gaiety you like in a man. I"ve told you this before. But, Patty,--you"ve so much of that,--don"t you think you"ve enough for two?"
Patty smiled. "It isn"t only that, Ken. Don"t think that I care more for foolish, witty speeches than I do for a true, n.o.ble heart, like yours."
"DON"T say "true, n.o.ble heart"! It sounds as if you didn"t care two cents for me! But my heart, Patty, such as it is, is all yours, and has been ever since Vernondale days. Have you forgotten those?"
"No, indeed, and that"s just what I say, Ken, we"ve been friends from the first,--and we"re friends now."
"But the time has come, Patty, to be more than friends. I have known it a long time. And I want you to know it too, dear. Patty,--can"t you?"
And then, all of a sudden, Patty KNEW she couldn"t. Like a flash, she saw Kenneth just as he was, a strong, brave, true man, for whom she felt a warm friendship, but whom she knew she never could love. She might some time perhaps, in days to come, love somebody, but it would never, never be Kenneth Harper.
The thought made her sad, not for herself, but she hated to give pain to this kind, honest man. She realised the depth of his love for her, and it broke her heart that she could not return it.
"Kenneth," she began, "I can"t love you the way you want me to,--I just can"t. And, anyway, I"m too young to think about these things."
"No, you"re not, Patty. You"re almost twenty and I"m twenty-four. That isn"t too young,--it"s just exactly the right age for lovers. It isn"t too young, Patty,--if you love me."
"But I don"t, Ken. I"m sorry,--but I don"t."
"But you will. Oh, Patty, say you will try to!"
"Kenneth, does love come by trying?" and Patty looked into Kenneth"s face, with a wide-eyed, serious gaze.
"I don"t know why it shouldn"t. Take time, dearest, to think about it, if you want to, but don"t say no, irrevocably."
"Is a woman"s no ever irrevocable?" And a smile dimpled Patty"s face.
"Oh, Patty, you are so sweet when you smile like that! Please say you"ll think about it."
"It won"t do any good to think about it, Ken. If ever I marry anybody, it"ll be somebody that I know I"m in love with, without thinking about it."
"There isn"t anybody, is there, Patty, that you know you"re in love with?"
"No, there isn"t," and Patty"s honest eyes showed that she spoke the truth. "But I"ll tell you what, Ken, YOU try to like somebody else.
Marie Homer is perfectly lovely! or,--there is Elise----"
"Hush, Patty, you don"t know what you"re talking about. I"m in love with you,--and you needn"t suggest other girls to me."
"They"re a great deal nicer than I am," said Patty, thoughtfully.
"Rubbish! You"re the only girl in the world for me, and I want YOU. Are you sure there"s n.o.body you like better than me, Patty?"
Patty rested her dimpled chin on the backs of her clasped hands and seemed to ponder this question. At last she said: "There"s n.o.body I like better than you, Ken; but I"ve counted up nine, that I like just exactly as well. Now, what would you do in a case like that?"
[Ill.u.s.tration: "Now, what would you do in a case like that?"]
"Patty, you"re a torment! But if I have an even chance with the others, I shall get ahead, somehow. Are you sure you don"t like that Cameron chap any better than me?"
"Not a bit better. He"s good fun, but I can"t imagine anybody falling in love with him."
"And--Van Reypen?"
The pink in Patty"s cheeks deepened, and the lids fell over her blue eyes at this question. Af-ter an instant"s pause, she said: "I don"t think it"s fair, Ken, for you to quiz me like that. And, anyway, I can"t tell. In some ways, I like you a heap better than Phil Van Reypen,--and then in other ways----"
"You like him a heap better than me!" Kenneth"s tone was accusing, and Patty resented it.
"Yes, I do!" she said, honestly. "He"s always ready for a good time and willing to give up things for other people. Why, Ken, when you"ve an important case on, you won"t go skating or anything! I have to coax you to come to my parties. Now, Phil is always ready to go anywhere or do anything."
"But he"s a millionaire, Patty. He doesn"t have to grub for a living, as I do."
"It isn"t that, Ken." Patty"s quick perceptions had caught the flaw in Kenneth"s argument. "It isn"t that. It"s because you"re so absorbed in your work that you"d RATHER dig and delve in it, than to go to parties.
That"s all right, of course, and much to your credit. But you can"t blame me for liking a man who is willing to throw over his business engagements for me."
"That"s just like you, Patty, to see through me so quickly. You"re right. I don"t care an awful lot for society doings. I only go to parties and things to see you. And it"s mighty little satisfaction, for you"re always so surrounded by rattle-pated men, that there"s no getting near you."
"Wait a minute, Ken; is it fair to call them rattle-pated, when you only mean that they enjoy the kind of gay chatter that you look down upon?"
"Oh, Patty, I do love you so! And when you say things like that, that proves what a big, clear mind you have underneath your frivolity, I love you more than ever. Of course, as you saw at once, I call them rattle-pates out of sheer envy and jealousy, because they possess that quality we"re speaking of, and I don"t. Teach it to me, Patty; teach me to be a gay society man, dancing attendance on gay society girls----"