"I shan"t appear until a few minutes after four," said Patty; "it isn"t feminine to keep an appointment on time."
So they went up and down some other streets until just the right time, and then Patty got out of the car, as she intended to walk to the tryst.
The car, with Adele and Daisy, whizzed away and took up a position exactly opposite the post-office, stopping there to watch the show.
Of course Cameron paid no attention to this car, and continued to patrol the sidewalk with slow, even steps.
At last, as he walked along, he saw a girl in white coming toward him.
Her pink parasol completely concealed her face, but Cameron knew it was his "Belle."
He walked on slowly, and Patty did too, until they met and both stopped. Gently he raised the intruding parasol and turned it to one side.
But even then, he could not see Patty"s face, for she had arranged her broad-brimmed hat to droop over it, and she hung her head as if in extreme shyness. But she put out her hand and Cameron clasped it in his own.
"Belle," he murmured, "MY Belle! Look at me, please!"
Suddenly Patty lifted her head, and smiled into Kit Cameron"s face.
He took a step backward, and staggered almost as if he would fall.
"Patty Fairfield!" he exclaimed, "what does this mean? Why are you here? I expected--oh, I beg your pardon--I--I"m aw-awfully glad to see you."
Adele and Daisy, watching them, were convulsed at Cameron"s baffled surprise. They could almost hear what he said. They could see how he tried to pull himself together, and they could see Patty speechless with laughter, as she enjoyed the joke on Kit.
"What are YOU doing in Maple Bank?" she said, as soon as she could speak for laughing.
Kit looked at her gravely. "I came expressly to meet a girl in a white frock and pink roses. I don"t see any other around, so--it might as well be you!"
"You needn"t try to turn it off so carelessly," said Patty. "Own up that you"re caught! What was your girl"s name?"
"Belle--My Belle--" And Cameron rolled his eyes in such soulful manner, that Patty went off in another paroxysm.
"Oh, you Joke King, you! n.o.body can trick you, can they? Do you own up?"
"Own up what? that I"d rather see you than any other belle? Certainly, I"ll own that. But my time is up. You know we were only to gaze once into each other"s eyes and then part forever!" And Kit gazed into her eyes as if it were indeed the last time.
"That"ll do," said Patty, laughing again. "The farce is over. Now come and be real. Your own beautiful real self. Come and meet my friends."
"Who?" said Kit, as he accompanied Patty across the street.
"Here he is," sang out Patty, as they reached the car. "Mrs.
Kenerley,--Miss Dow,--may I present Mr. Cameron, the celebrated violin virtuoso."
Adele greeted him warmly, and Daisy smiled on him, and Cameron"s own delightful manner soon made them all friends.
"Jump in and go home with us, Mr. Cameron," said Adele, turning down a side seat in the car.
"But my stay in Maple Bank is limited," said Kit. "I"m due to take the next train back to New York."
"Come back with us to tea, anyway," said Adele.
"You can stay to dinner, too," said Patty, "and take a late train down from Fern Falls."
"But you see, though I dressed with particular care to meet a very charming young lady, I didn"t expect to dine with her."
"Oh, no matter," said Adele; "we won"t be formal to-night. But if you will, Mr. Cameron, we"d like to have you come back on Sat.u.r.day for our May-day celebration."
"Will I!" said Kit; "you"re awfully good to ask me, Mrs. Kenerley, after you"ve discovered what a wicked young man I am, thus to follow up invitations from strange ladies. But you see the photograph that came to me was so charming that the temptation was irresistible."
"If you"d known it was only me, you wouldn"t have come, would you?"
asked Patty.
Kit regarded her solemnly. Then he waved his hand, as if dismissing a question of no moment. "It doesn"t matter," he said, "all young ladies in pink and white look alike to me."
"Then I"m glad I"m not in pink and white," said Daisy, who was looking very pretty in a blue linen frock, with wide black ribbons.
"So am I," and Kit smiled at her approvingly. "You look so different, it"s a pleasure to observe you."
Cameron had a charming way of talking nonsense, and before they reached home both Daisy and Adele had taken a decided liking to the gay young man.
They had tea on the gla.s.s-paned veranda, and it was not until they were all comfortably seated, with their teacups in hand, that Cameron said, casually: "Oh, by the way, Patty, I have a note for you from Mrs.
Fairfield, and a parcel."
He took from his pocket a letter and a little box.
"Oh, thank you," said Patty, taking them "May I?" she added, as she opened the note.
As Patty read, her face grew longer and her eyes grew bigger. As she finished, she looked at Cameron, who was gazing at her with his eyes full of laughter.
"You Kit!" she exclaimed; "oh, you Kit Cameron! Can n.o.body EVER get ahead of you? Girls, listen to this! It"s a note from Nan, and she says: "Dear Patty: Mr. Cameron says he"s going to see you to-morrow.
Has Adele invited him to Fern Falls? How nice for you all. He won"t tell me how she happened to do so, but I suppose it was through you.
I"m sending you by him your pearl pin, which you forgot. Oceans of love, from Nan." Now, how in the name of common sense, did you happen to tell Nan that you were coming to see me?"
"Why, I was there last night, and I knew I was coming up here to-day; so I told her, and she asked me to bring your pin. And I said I would.
That"s all."
"But how did you know you were coming here?" persisted Patty.
"I didn"t know I was coming here, and I didn"t tell Mrs. Fairfield I was. I only told her I should see you. I can"t help what she a.s.sumed,--and I have delivered the pin in safety."
"But how did you know you were going to see me?"
"My dear child, do you suppose for one minute that I fell for that Belle Harcourt business? Didn"t you know that I would know that that very first letter was written by your fairy fingers?"
"Why, Mr. Cameron!" exclaimed Adele, "weren"t you really fooled?"
"You WERE!" exclaimed Daisy. "You were at first, anyway."