THE NEIGHBOUR AGAIN
Kenneth Harper did send the book, and, as Patty confidently expected, the
girls of the club quite agreed with her that it was the best play for
them to use.
At a meeting at Marian's, plans were made and parts were chosen. The
goddesses were allotted to the members of the club, and the gods were
distributed among their brothers and friends.
Guy Morris, being of gigantic mould, was cast for Hercules, and Frank
Elliott for Ajax. When Patty told the girls that Kenneth Harper could do
trick riding on a bicycle, they unanimously voted to invite him to take
part in their entertainment.
It was decided to have the play about the middle of February, and the
whole Tea Club grew enthusiastic over the plans for the wonderful
performance.
One morning Patty sat in the library studying her part. She was very
happy. Of course, Patty always was happy, but this morning she was
unusually so. Her housekeeping was going on smoothly; the night before
her father had expressed himself as being greatly pleased with the system
and order which seemed everywhere noticeable in the house. It was
Saturday morning, and she didn't have to go to school.
Moreover, she was very much interested in the play and in her own part in
it, and had already planned a most beautiful gown, which the dressmaker,
Madame LaFayette, was to make for her.
Patty's part in the play was that of Diana, and her costume was to be a
beautiful one of hunter's green cloth with russet leather leggings and a
jaunty cap. Being up-to-date, instead of being a huntress she was to
represent an agent of the S.P.C.A.
This suited Patty exactly, for she had a horror of killing live things,
and very much preferred doing all she could to prevent such slaughter.
Moreover, the humour of the thing appealed to her, and the funny effect
of the huntress Diana going around distributing S.P.C.A. leaflets, and
begging her fellow-Olympians not to shoot, seemed to Patty very humourous
and attractive.
This Saturday, then, she had settled down in the library to study her
lines all through the long cosey morning, when, to her annoyance, the
doorbell rang.
"I hope it's none of the girls," she thought. "I did want this morning
to myself."
It wasn't any of the girls, but Pansy announced that a messenger had come
from Miss Daggett's, and that Miss Daggett wished Miss Fairfield to
return her call at once.
Patty smiled at the unusual message, but groaned at the thought of her
interrupted holiday.
However, Miss Daggett was not one to be ignored or lightly set aside, so
Patty put on her things and started.
Although Miss Daggett's house was next door to Boxley Hall, yet it was
set in the middle of such a large lot, and was so far back from the
street, and so surrounded by tall, thick trees, that Patty had never had
a really good view of it.
She was surprised, therefore, to find it a very large, old-fashioned
stone house, with broad veranda and steps guarded by two stone lions.
Patty rang the bell, and the door was opened very slightly. A small,
quaint-looking old coloured man peeped out.
"Go 'way," he said, "go 'way at once! We don't want no tickets."
"I'm not selling tickets," said Patty, half angry and half amused.
"Well, we don't want no shoelacers, nor lead pencils, nor nuffin! You
_must_ be selling something."
"I am not selling anything," said Patty. "I came over because Miss
Daggett sent for me."
"Laws 'a' massy, child, why didn't you say so before you spoke? Be you
Miss Fairfield?"
"Yes," said Patty; "here's my card."
"Oh, never mind the ticket; if so be you's Miss Fairfield, jes' come
right in, come right in."
The door was flung open wide and Patty entered a dark, old-fashioned
hall. From that she was led into a parlour, so dark that she could
scarcely see the outline of a lady on the sofa.
"How do you do, Miss Daggett?" she said, guessing that it was probably
her hostess who seemed to be sitting there.
"How do you do?" said Miss Daggett, putting out her hand, without
rising.
"I'm quite well, thank you," said Patty, and her eyes having grown a
little accustomed to the dark, she grasped the old lady's hand, although,
as she told her father afterwards, she was awfully afraid she would tweak
her nose by mistake.
"And how are you, Miss Daggett?"
"Not very well, child, not very well, but you won't stay long, will you?
I sent for you, yes, I sent for you on an impulse. I thought I'd like to
see you, but I'd no sooner sent than I wished I hadn't. But you won't
stay long, will you, dearie?"
"No," said Patty, feeling really sorry for the queer old lady. "No, I
won't stay long, I'll go very soon; in fact, I'll go just as soon as you
tell me to. I'll go now, if you say so."
"Oh, don't be silly. I wouldn't have sent for you if I'd wanted you to go
right away again. Sit down, turn your toes out, and answer my questions."
"What are your questions?" said Patty, not wishing to make any
rash promises.
"Well, first, are you really keeping that big house over there all alone
by yourself?"
"I'm keeping house there, yes, but I'm not all alone by myself. My
father's there, and two servants."
"Don't you keep a man?"
"No; a man comes every day to do the hard work, but he doesn't
live with us."
"Humph, I suppose you think you're pretty smart, don't you?"
"I don't know," said Patty slowly, as if considering; "yes, I think I'm
pretty smart in some ways, and in other ways I'm as stupid as an owl."
"Well, you must be pretty smart, because you haven't had to borrow
anything over here yet."
"But I wouldn't borrow anything here, anyway, Miss Daggett; you
specially asked me not to."
Miss Daggett's old wrinkled face broke into a smile.
"And so you remember that. Well, well, you are a nice little girl; you
must have had a good mother, and a good bringing-up."
"My mother died when I was three, and my father brought me up."
"He did, hey? Well, he made a fairly good job of it. Now, I guess you can
go; I'm about tired of talking to you."
"Then I will go. But, first, Miss Daggett, let me tell you that I met
your nephew the other day."
"Kenneth! For the land's sake! Well, well, sit down again. I don't want
you to go yet; tell me all about him. Isn't he a nice boy? Hasn't he fine
eyes? And gentlemanly manners? And oh, the lovely ways with him!"
"Yes, Miss Daggett, he is indeed a nice boy; my father and I both think
so. His eyes and his manners are fine. He says he wants to come out to
see you soon."
"Bless his heart, I hope he'll come! I do hope he'll come."
"Then you like to have him come to see you?" said Patty, a little
roguishly.
"Yes, and I like to have you, too. Land, child! you mustn't mind my
quick ways."
"I don't mind how quick you are," said Patty; "but when you tell me to be
sure and not come to see you, of course I don't come."
"Oh, that's all right," said Miss Daggett, "that's all right; I'll always
send for you when I want you.
"But perhaps I can't always come," said Patty. "I may be busy with my
housekeeping."
"Now, wouldn't that be annoying!" said Miss Daggett. "I declare that
would be just my luck. I always do have bad luck."
"Perhaps it's the way you look at it," said Patty. "Now, I have some
things that seem like bad luck, at least, other people think they do; but
if I look at them right--happy and cheerful, you know--why, they just
seem like good luck."
"Really," said Miss Daggett, with a curious smile; "well now, you _are_ a
queer child, and I'm not at all sure but I'd like to have you come again.
Do you want to see around my house?"
"I'd like to very much, but it's so dark a bat couldn't see things in
this room."
"But I can't open the shades, the sun would fade all the furniture
coverings."
"Well, then, you could buy new ones," said Patty; "that would be better
than living in the dark."
"Dark can't hurt anybody," said Miss Daggett gloomily.
"Oh, indeed it can," said Patty earnestly. "Why, darkness--I mean
darkness in the daytime--makes you all stewed up and fidgety and horrid;
and sunshine makes you all gay and cheerful and glad."
"Like you," said Miss Daggett.
"Yes, like me," said Patty; "I am cheerful and glad always. I like to
be."
"I would like to be, too," said Miss Daggett.
"Do you suppose if I opened the shutters I would be?"
"Let's try it and see," said Patty, and running to the windows, she flung
open the inside blinds and flooded the room with sunshine.
"Oh, what a beautiful room!" she exclaimed, as she turned around. "Why,
Miss Daggett, to think of keeping all these lovely things shut up in the
dark. I believe they cry about it when you aren't looking."
Already the old lady's face seemed to show a gentler and sunnier
expression, and she said:
"Yes, I have some beautiful things, child. Would you like to look through
this cabinet of East Indian curiosities?"
"I would very much," said Patty, "but I fear I can't take the time this
morning; I have to study my part in a play we're going to give. It's a
play your nephew told us about," she added quickly, feeling sure that
this would rouse the old lady's interest in it.
"One of Kenneth's college plays?" she said eagerly.
"Yes, that's just what it is. A chum of his wrote it, and oh, Miss
Daggett, we're going to invite Mr. Harper to come to Vernondale the night
of the play, and take the same part that he took at college last year;
you see, he'll know it, and he can just step right in."
"Good for you! I hope he'll come. I'll write at once and tell him how
much I want him. He can stay here, of course, and perhaps he can come
sooner, so as to be here for one or two rehearsals."
"That would be a good help. I hope he will do that; he could coach the
rest of us."
"I don't know just what coach means, but I'm sure Kenneth can do it, he's
a very clever boy; he says he can run an automobile, but I don't believe
it. Run away home now, child, I'm tired of having company; and besides I
want to compose my mind so I can write a letter to Kenneth."
"And will you leave your blinds open till afternoon?" said Patty, who was
beginning to learn her queer old neighbour.
"Yes, I will, if I don't forget it. Clear out, child, clear out now; run
away home and mind you're not to borrow anything and you're not to come
back till I send for you."
"All right," said Patty. "Good-bye, and mind, you're to keep bright and
cheerful, and let the sunlight in all the time."