THE HOUSE PARTY
Lilian and Betty were as much impressed as Hilary had been, upon her
first visit, with the beauty and quiet elegance of Cathalina’s home.
Betty shared Cathalina’s room with its blue, silver and white
fittings, while Hilary and Lilian occupied the rose room, which had
been Hilary’s upon that memorable Christmas time. “I thought it
would be more fun for us to be close together,” Cathalina said, “but
if any of you would like to be alone, it can just as well be
arranged.”
“Who would want to be alone?” replied Lilian. “This is delightful.”
The baggage had come through safely, and the girls found their
prettiest frocks all pressed and hanging in the closets. Cathalina’s
maid was a different one from the girl Hilary remembered, and
Cathalina laughed as she explained what Phil called her
“alliterative succession” of maids, Etta, Edna, Ethel and now Edith,
“my ‘French’ maids,” said Cathalina. “The last ones did not stay
long. Mother did not think they were good, but Edith is fine. She is
English.”
Hilary and Lilian found another maid appointed to answer their bell,
and confided to each other that they hoped not to make any mistakes
in their own deportment regarding her. “Oh, it does not make any
real difference,” said Hilary. “If we are simple and nice, as we
ought to be, I guess we shall not make any very bad mistakes. I
think, Lil, that you might as well get used to one!”
Lilian blushed, for Hilary’s meaning was not hard to understand, and
the state of Philip’s feeling toward Lilian had been quite apparent
on their automobile trip. However, within the next twenty-four hours
Lilian’s ideas were to change somewhat.
Cathalina and Philip were as busy as could be in those first hours
after their arrival, making arrangements for different sorts of good
times.
“You will excuse me, won’t you, girls, while I call up the family
and get things started. I want some of them to come over tonight and
I must find out who of the friends are in town.” Cathalina, fresh
from her bath, her soft brown hair prettily arranged by her maid, a
cool, light summer dress floating about her, was an attractive
picture as she sat by the little table to telephone.
“Is that you, Ann Maria? Good! I thought you girls would be back in
time for us to see you. Did you have a great time? Yes, we had a
wonderful summer at camp—more fun! Yes, we just came in an hour or
so ago. How are Uncle and Aunt Knickerbocker? Oh, is that so? Well,
why can’t you stay all night here, then—you and Louise? We want you
all to come after dinner tonight, to meet the girls. I’m going to
call up Louise and Nan and Emily. Robert Paget will get in before
dinner, Phil thinks. I’m calling Rosalie and Lawrence Haverhill,
too. Anybody else that you can think of? Somebody we could ask on
short notice. Oh, yes. I’ll get Phil to call him. We’ll have light
refreshments. Come early.”
Cathalina danced away and over to Philip’s room, where she knocked.
“That you, Kitsie? All right, come in. That’s all, Louis. There are
the letters to be mailed.”
Philip was as freshly attired as Cathalina and making great plans
for happy hours with Lilian. “Be seated, Miss Van Buskirk!”
“No, thanks, Phil—I just had a little matter to speak to you about.
If Mother thinks it’s all right, would you mind calling up a young
man I met at school last year—if he’s in town—and can come—”
“Lots of ‘ifs’ in the way, it seems,” said Philip, his eyes
sparkling. Why should Philip worry about anything? Was not the
sweetest girl in the world in the same house with him?
“Yes, Philly, that’s so. I’m not sure it’s proper to be so informal
with him, but Mother will know about that. It’s the Captain Van
Horne that was nice to me at school last year, you know. We
exchanged addresses and he asked me if he could call, or I invited
him to call, I don’t remember which. He is an instructor in the
military school.”
“I remember about him. Of course it’s proper for me to ask him to
come around, and if he can’t come tonight, shall I ask him for the
other party, or to call to see us?”
“Yes, please. You’re a good brother.”
“By the way, Cathalina, after the telephoning could you manage to
let me have Lilian to myself a while—out on the veranda or
somewhere? I’ll find the place, if I can get the girl!”
“Yes, Philly, indeed I will. You’ve hardly had a good visit with
Lilian since we started from Boston.” Cathalina gave Philip a
roguish glance as she whirled out of the room. Phil mischievously
winked, put his hand over his heart and said, “I now call up the Van
Horne at his ancestral abode, but I was saving you for Bob Paget.”
“Oh, let Betty have him,” Cathalina called as she disappeared down
the hall in the direction of the girls’ room. “Boys always like
Betty.”
“What is that, Cathalina?” asked Betty. “Seems to me I heard my
name.”
“You did. I was just making the wise remark to Philip that boys
always like you.”
“How horrid! That doesn’t sound like you, Cathalina.”
“You don’t know the circumstances. We were planning who was for whom
at our party and I mentioned you for a certain young man and made
that remark. You are always lovely and pretty and the boys do like
you.”
The girls had been having a confab in the rose room in Cathalina’s
absence. Lilian was looking in the mirror to see if the maid’s hair
dressing had been effective. “Oh, Cathalina,” said she, “please tell
me about some of your relatives that will be here. Remember that we
haven’t been here before, like Hilary.”
“You’ll not have such a time as poor Hilary had,” said Cathalina
with a laugh. “She had to meet the whole clan, aunts, uncles and
cousins, at our regular Christmas gathering, and had a great time to
straighten us all out. Campbell insisted on giving her the whole
family history.”
“Probably that was just as well,” said Betty, with meaning.
“Tonight,” continued Cathalina, “there’ll just be the young folks.
Campbell will bring his sisters over, or at least Emily. Sara is
younger. Emily is about a year older than Campbell. Then Louise Van
Ness, who is about Phil’s age, and Nan Van Ness, who is my age, will
be here. Rosalie Haverhill is an old friend of mine, and her brother
Lawrence, who has been attending the same school as Phil, has been
one of his best friends. Oh, yes, Ann Maria Van Ness is the niece of
Uncle and Aunt Knickerbocker, who lives with them. She and Louise
have been great chums, and in the same set of young folks with Phil
and Lawrence. Robert Paget is Phil’s friend, you know, who is coming
today. Phil had a telegram from him not long ago. He’s going to the
station in the car pretty soon to meet him. He and Phil and Campbell
and Lawrence are all in the same fraternity. Ann Maria suggested
another friend of hers and Philip’s, but he had another engagement.
This will be a very informal affair indeed, gotten up on the spur of
the moment, as it were. There’ll not be enough boys to go around, of
course, but we can all have a jolly talk, and I’m going to have a
real party before you leave.”
By this time the girls were on their way downstairs. Philip was in
the hall with some fresh roses just picked, which he proceeded to
give to the girls, saving Lilian’s till the last. He was so
evidently waiting for her that the other girls kept on, out upon the
wide porch with its fine columns, while Philip drew Lilian into the
library, and put the rose in her hair. “I want to show you the gem
of our whole place,” said he; “Dad’s library.” Many, many times in
days to come was Lilian to remember that cool, beautiful room, the
quiet talk with Philip, the rose in her hair and the look in
Philip’s eyes.
They walked around looking at the books, then sat down on the
window-seat to talk, more about the music, of which they were both
so fond, than of the books.
“Your voice, Lilian, is wonderful. It has a quality in it that holds
your audience. You’ve felt it yourself, I suppose.”
“I love it when I can hold them,” replied Lilian, “but I’m usually
not thinking about them, only of what I’m singing.”
“You ought to be studying with some big New York teacher. We have
better teaching right here in America than they have in Europe, and
have had for years, so my professor at school said.”
“Oh, wouldn’t I love to study here!”
“Are you going back to Greycliff after this year?”
“I can’t tell. We all love Greycliff so, but Hilary thinks that her
people may plan for her to go somewhere else, and if our ‘quartette’
is broken up we may not be so crazy about staying. We are going to
have this year together, anyhow.”
“Campbell and I get through college this year. You remember what I
said about the war—when we were in the pine grove at camp?”
“Yes, indeed,” said Lilian soberly.
“Well, we have promised the folks to finish this year at college, if
possible, or at least not to go without their consent if we do get
into the war. And you will write all year to me, won’t you, as you
promised?”
“Oh, yes.”
“There is such a lot of us that I thought I’d better make sure to
remind you. And, Lilian, did you mind what I said about——”
But Lilian did not hear the rest of this remark, for at this point
Mrs. Van Buskirk entered the library and smilingly informed Philip
that he would scarcely have time to reach the station before Robert
Paget’s train arrived. Philip looked at his watch.
“You’re right, Mother! Excuse me, Lilian. I’m trying to persuade
Lilian that she ought to have her voice cultivated right here in New
York,” and Philip dashed off.
While Lilian and Mrs. Van Buskirk were chatting, Cathalina came in.
“I’ve been seeing to the refreshments for tonight, Mother. I believe
you will have to plan for the real party with the housekeeper.”
“Very well. You want something more elaborate, I suppose.”
“Oh, yes; just as elaborate as I can have it.”
“Will it be very formal?” asked Lilian, who was thinking of her
somewhat limited wardrobe. The girls had not taken much to camp
except the regular camp attire.
“Oh, no. The boys would hate it. It is too hot for dress suits. They
can wear their white flannels or palm beach suits or anything they
like. I’ll have Phil call up all the boys and tell them ‘informal.’
There isn’t time to send written invitations ‘with propriety,’ as
Aunt Katherine says, and it will not be such a big party. But I want
to have everybody that we are indebted to, if they are in town.”
“What will the girls wear?”
“Their thin silks or lace and net, or sheer cotton stuffs. Your pink
organdy will be just the thing, or that little silk that you sing
in.”
“I guess I’d better wear the organdy tonight and the silk frock at
the party. How would that do, Mrs. Van Buskirk?”
“Nicely, my dear. Anything that you have at school is quite suitable
for all our occasions.”
“How comfortable and dear your mother is, Cathalina,” said Lilian
after Mrs. Van Buskirk had left the room.
“Yes, isn’t she? And you ought to hear the things she says about
you. I believe she likes you even better than Betty and Hilary, but
I oughtn’t to say that. Her heart is big enough for our whole
quartette. Come on, let’s get the other girls and see what flowers
we can find for the rooms.”
“Imagine your having such lovely roses at this time in the year. How
do you manage it?”
“They have special care, and some of them are from our little
hothouse.”
The four girls were still outdoors when Philip returned with Robert
Paget, and turned to look, as “Pat,” back from Boston, took out two
bags and a suitcase, and three young men stepped out of the car.
“_Three_,” said Cathalina in surprise. “I wonder who the other one
is. That is Robert in the light grey suit.”
“Why, that looks like Dick!” exclaimed Lilian. “It is Dick! How in
the world did Dick——” Lilian started toward the house; then,
recollecting that Dick was not the only young man there, drew back.
The three young men did not see the girls and went up the steps and
into the house.
“Let’s go in and fix the flowers,” said Cathalina, “and by that time
the boys will be downstairs, I think, and Mother will know about it
at least.”
Mrs. Van Buskirk met the girls in the hall. “Why, Lilian,” said she,
“we have a great surprise for you.”
“I saw him,” replied Lilian. “How did it happen?”
“He came to New York on business again, Phil said; did not know that
you were here, and he and Robert Paget were on the same train. Phil
saw him get off just in front of Robert and, as he said, ‘nabbed
him.’”
“He and your father were here while we were in camp, weren’t they?”
said Betty, recalling some news of Lilian’s.
“Yes; for years one of Father’s old friends has been wanting to get
him into a law firm here in New York, and now that Dick is starting
Father is more interested, though he can’t bring himself to leave
the old town.” So Lilian explained to Mrs. Van Buskirk and the
girls. “He always laughs and says ‘Better be a big toad in a small
puddle than a little toad in a big puddle.’”
“I believe your father would be a ‘big toad’ anywhere,” said Mrs.
Van Buskirk. “We enjoyed him so much that time he and Richard were
out for dinner with us.”
“Oh, wouldn’t it be _lovely_ if your people would move to New York!”
exclaimed Cathalina. “Why haven’t you said something about it
before?”
“I never thought of it, because Father never gave us any reason to
think he would do it. And it didn’t occur to me till now that it
might be the reason for this summer’s visits. But I feel
sure—almost—that it must be now that Dick is here again. Perhaps he
will come if Father does not.”
“That makes another young man for tonight!” and Cathalina waved a
hand full of flowers. “Is Dick engaged? Will he be bored at
company?”
“No, to both your questions. Dick likes a good time as well as
anybody. Oh, there he is!”
“Go on down and meet your sister,” said Philip from the landing, and
Robert Paget, who was in the lead, stopped to let Richard North
pass. Dick embraced his sister, and turned to greet Mrs. Van
Buskirk. As by this time the others had reached the foot of the
stairs, general introductions followed.