Patty looked at him calmly. "I"ll tell you what," she said: "you put down your initials for every dance; then, if I do find any partners I like better, I"ll give them dances; and, if not, you see I"ll have you to depend on."
Cameron stared at her, but Patty looked at him with an innocent smile, as if she were not asking anything extraordinary.
"Well, you"ve got a nerve!" the young man exclaimed.
"Why, it was your own proposition that you have all the dances;" and Patty looked almost offended.
"Poppycheek, you shall have it your own way! You shall have anything you want, that _I_ can give you." And Cameron scribbled his initials against every one of the twenty dances on the programme.
"You might have put K. C. to the first and then ditto after that," said Patty, as she watched him.
"Nay, nay, Pauline!" and Kit gave her a shrewd glance. "Think what would happen then. You"d give a dance to some other man, maybe, and he"d set down his initials, and all the rest of the dittos would refer to him!"
"Poor man! I never thought of that! But it isn"t likely there"ll be any others except Ken."
"Oh, don"t you worry! Everybody will want an introduction to you, after they see you dance."
"I don"t think much of that for a compliment! I"d rather be loved for my sweet self alone."
"Have you never been?"
"Many, many times!" and Patty sighed in mock despair. "But my love affairs always end tragically."
"Your suitors drown themselves, I suppose?"
"Do you mean if I encourage them?"
"Do you know what a silly you are?"
"Do you know what a goose YOU are?"
"Children, stop quarrelling," and Mrs. Perry smiled at the chattering pair. "Miss Fairfield, several amiable young men of my acquaintance desire to be presented to you. May I?"
Patty smilingly acquiesced, and in a moment half a dozen would-be partners were asking for dances.
They looked rather taken aback at sight of Patty"s card, but she calmly explained to them the true condition of things, and they accepted the situation with smiles of admiration for a girl who could command such an arrangement. Patty would not give more than one dance to each, as she wanted to find out which ones she liked best.
Mr. Perry brought up some of his acquaintances, too, and shortly Patty"s programme showed an astonishing lot of hieroglyphics scribbled over Kit"s initials.
"Here are twelve dances you may have for your other friends," said Patty, to Mr. Cameron. "Take the numbers as I call them off: one, two, three----"
"Oh, wait a minute! Have you given them all away?"
"No; only the first twelve, so far. But cheer up! I may be able to dispose of the others."
"You"re a naughty, bad, mean little princess; and I don"t love you any more."
Kit looked reproachfully at Patty, with his eyes so full of disappointment that she relented.
"I didn"t give away the first one, really," she said, softly. "I saved that for you."
"You blessed, dear, sweet little Princess you! Now, don"t give away any more, will you? I know you"ll have thousands of requests."
"I"ll see about it," was all Patty would promise, and then the music began and they stepped out on to the dancing floor.
CHAPTER IX
EDDIE BELL
"Which do you like best of all the boys you"ve met?" asked Kit, as they danced.
"What a question! How can I possibly tell, when a dozen well-behaved and serious-looking young men stand up like a cla.s.s in school and say, one after another, "May I have the honour of a dance, Miss Fairfield?"
They all looked exactly alike to me. Except one. There was one boy, who looks so much like me he might be my brother. I never had a brother, and I"ve a good notion to adopt him as one."
"Don"t! There"s nothing so dangerous as adopting a young man for a brother! But I know who you mean,--Eddie Bell. He doesn"t look a bit like you, but he HAS yellow curls and blue eyes."
"And pink cheeks," supplemented Patty.
"Yes, but not poppy cheeks; they"re more the pink of a--of a--horsechestnut!"
"I think pink horsechestnut blooms are beautiful."
"Oh, you do, do you? And I suppose you think Eddie Bell is beautiful!"
"Well, there"s no occasion for you to get mad about it if I do. Do you know, Mr. Cameron, you flare up very easily."
"If you"ll call me Kit, I"ll promise never to flare up again."
"Certainly, I"ll call you Kit. I"d just as lieve as not; anything to oblige."
"And may I call you Patty?"
"Why, yes, if you like."
"Look here, you"re altogether too indifferent about it."
"Oh, what a boy!" And Patty rolled her eyes up in despair. "If I don"t want him to call me Patty, he doesn"t like it; and if I do let him call me Patty, he isn"t satisfied! What to do,--what to do!"
"You"re a little tease,--THAT"S what you are!"
"And you"re a big tease, that"s what YOU are! I"ve heard you"re even fond of practical jokes! Now, I detest practical jokes."
"That"s an awful pity, for I mean to play one on you the very first chance I get."
"You can"t do it?"