MAKING A HOME.
The party was marshalled up on the peristyle, where they received,
collectively, instructions in a loud voice to leave their sticks and
umbrellas before entering the Chateau.
Patty and Elise agreed that the beauty and dignity of the situation was
somewhat impaired by the personally conducted effect, but they thought
that was compensated for by the funny side of it all. The tourists
followed the conductor like a flock of sheep, one or another
occasionally straying away for a time, and nearly all of them making
notes in little note-books. Indeed, some of them were so intent on
their notes that they merely gave glances at the beautiful things
exhibited, and spent most of their time scribbling in their books and
referring to their Baedekers.
The interior of the Chateau was delightful. As Patty had surmised, it
was largely devoted to pictures and relics of the Conde family. She was
greatly pleased to discover a gallery of battles which, though not
large, illustrated the battles of the great prince who was called the
Grand Conde. Although Patty was of a peaceful enough nature, she had a
special liking for the glory and grandeur of paintings of battle
scenes, and she tarried in this gallery as long as she could.
Both she and Elise adopted the Grand Conde as one of their favourites,
and greatly admired the numerous portraits of him, with his handsome
face and generally gorgeous effects.
In one of the halls of the Chateau post-cards were on sale, and Patty
eagerly looked them over to make the selection she wanted.
But the Personal Conductor discovered that time was flying, and that if
he let all of his charges delay over the post-cards, other sights must
be omitted.
So he scurried them along through the various galleries and salons,
pausing in the Library and the Chapel. The Chapel awed Patty, as the
impressive burial places of kings always did, and especially was she
interested in a Cippus, which was a receptacle for the hearts of
several of the princes of Conde.
"It seems wonderful," she said to Elise, "to take out their hearts and
put them all away together like that, but they had strange ways in the
times of my friends, the Condes."
"I'm beginning to be very much interested in your friends, the Condes,"
replied Elise, "and I think, after all, I shall join your French
history class this winter."
Then they proceeded to the beautiful park of Chantilly, which was laid
out by the same landscape gardener who afterward designed the gardens
of Versailles.
The park was enchanting, and the many buildings in it most interesting.
"There's one thing certain," said Patty, "I shall come here some day
and camp out for the day in this park and wander around without being
personally conducted."
"And I shall do myself the honour to accompany you," said Elise; "I'm
sure I can persuade father to send us out here in the car some day and
let us play around by ourselves."
All too soon the megaphone's voice called them to start on their
homeward trip. Patty and Elise were among the first to take their seats
in the great motor car, and as Patty was looking over her beloved
post-cards, she suddenly discovered that she had no portrait of her
friend, the Grand Prince.
But by good luck she saw a woman standing near, and suspended by a
strap round her neck was a tray of post-cards.
Calling the woman to her, Patty made known her desire for a picture of
the Grand Conde.
"Oui, oui," exclaimed the woman as she offered various portraits of
other members of the Conde family.
"Non, non," cried Patty, shaking her head, vigorously, "le Grand
Prince,-le Grand Conde!"
At length the woman discovered the proper card, and when Patty accepted
it, and paid her for it, she burst into voluble thanks and begged her
to buy more.
Remembering Elise's album, Patty bought another copy of the same
picture for that, and then, thinking she would like to take one to
Marian, she asked for a third copy.
This the woman did not have in stock, but anxious to please her pretty
young patron, she flew over to another post-card vender, of which there
seemed to be several near by, and demanded the required card from her.
But a search through her stock proved unavailing, and both women,
chatting volubly in French, tried to procure one from a third post-card
seller.
Patty and Elise became much amused at the excitement they had created,
and suddenly to their surprise one of the tourists expressed her desire
also for a portrait of the Grand Conde.
Patty surmised at once that she had no particular reason for desiring
it save an idea that if it was in such great demand it must be of a
special value.
And then following the example of the first, several other tourists set
up a clamour for the same picture, and the scene became one of great
excitement. The post-card venders put their heads together, and still
jabbering rapidly, produced all sorts of portraits which they
endeavoured to foist upon the buyers as portraits of the Grand Prince.
But the tourists were shrewd, and they knew what they wanted, though
they had no idea why they wanted it.
The natural result of this situation was a rise in price of the desired
picture. The original price of ten CENTIMES was doubled and then
quadrupled, and finally the tourists began to bid for the picture until
the affair became an auction.
Patty and Elise were convulsed with laughter at the absurdity of it
all, and finally the motor man whizzed away, leaving the Frenchwomen
chuckling over their marvelous sales, and carrying some excited
tourists, who wondered why they had paid so much for ordinary
post-cards.
Patty's recital of the affair at dinner that night greatly amused the
Farringtons, and Mr. Farrington declared that the whole scene was
typical of human nature.
"As you had cornered the market, Patty," he said, "why didn't you sell
your Conde pictures at top prices, or else put them up at auction?"
"For the very good reason that I wanted them myself," replied Patty,
"and if I had sold them, perhaps I never could get any more."
"Well, we, too, have achieved an important success to-day," went on Mr.
Farrington; "we have secured a foothold in this somewhat uncertain
city, and we shall soon have a roof over our heads that we can call our
own, for a time, at least."
"Oh, you took the house, then," exclaimed Elise; "how jolly! and when
are we going there to live?"
"As soon as it can be made habitable," said Mrs. Farrington; "they call
it a furnished house, but it is not at all my idea of furnishing. It's
about as well appointed as a summer cottage might be at home. The
drawing-room is all right, and the dining-room is fairly good, but the
bedrooms must be almost entirely refurnished. Some day, my children,
you shall go shopping with me to select things for your own rooms."
This shopping expedition took place soon, and Patty, with her usual
happy enthusiasm, thought it was quite as much fun as any other mode of
entertainment.
Mrs. Farrington and the two girls, driven by the chauffeur, went flying
around in the automobile, stopping now at one beautiful shop, and now
at another, and buying lovely things.
"It seems foolish," said Mrs. Farrington, "to buy a lot of furniture
for a rented house, but we must be comfortable through the winter, and
then the prettiest of the things we'll take back to America with us."
The girls were allowed to make their own selections, and Patty decided
that her room should be green and white, while Elise chose pink.
The girls had not yet seen the house, but Mrs. Farrington told them
that two large rooms adjoining each other on the third floor were to be
for their use, and though the principal articles of furniture were
already in them, they might choose some pretty appointments, such as
writing-desks, work-tables or book-racks.
Also, they selected some little French gilded chairs and queer-shaped
ottomans, Patty thinking the while how pretty these would look when
transported back to her New York home.
After about a week more of hotel life the Farringtons moved to their
own home.
It was a good-sized house on the Bois de Boulogne, and stood in a small
but well-laid out park or garden.
There were stone porticos on which opened long, French windows, and the
high ceilings and winding staircase with broad landings gave the house
an attractive, though foreign air.
Like all French houses, the decorations were elaborate, and mirrors
were everywhere, and crystal chandeliers and painted panels abounded.
It was all of great interest to Patty, who dearly loved home-making,
and who saw great possibilities for the unusual combination of American
cosiness in a Paris house.
Mrs. Farrington was delighted when she discovered Patty's capabilities
in domestic matters, and declared that she would not wish for a better
assistant.
It was Patty's deft fingers that transformed stiff and formal rooms
into apartments of real comfort and homelikeness. It was very often
Patty's taste that selected simple decorations or ornaments which toned
down the gorgeousness of the original scheme.
The two girls' own rooms were greatly successful.
Patty had bought a number of pictures and statuettes and various
Parisian ornaments, which she was delighted to arrange in a room of her
very own. She helped Elise with hers, too, for though Elise had good
taste and a fine appreciation of the fitness of things, she had not
Patty's capability of execution and facility of arrangement.
As they sat for the first time around their own family dinner table,
Mr. Farrington exclaimed, "Now this is what I call comfortable! It's
unpretentious, but it's way ahead of that gorgeously dressed-up hotel,
which made one feel, though well taken care of, like a traveller and a
wayfarer. But I expect you were sorry to leave it, eh, Patty?"
"No I wasn't," said Patty; "I liked it tremendously for a time, as it
was a novel experience for me; but I'm quite as pleased as you are, Mr.
Farrington, to be in a home once more."
"And the next thing to do," said Mrs. Farrington, "is to get masters
for you girls."
"Shall we go to school, mother?" asked Elise.
"No, I think not. I don't like the idea of your going to a French
school, and, too, I think you'd enjoy it better, to study a little at
home. You needn't have a great variety of lessons. I think if you study
the French language and French history, it will be enough for you in
the way of school books. Then Patty ought to take singing lessons, and
if Elise wants to learn to paint pictures, she will probably never get
a better opportunity to do so."
This plan seemed to suit perfectly the young ladies most interested,
and Mr. Farrington said he would take it upon himself to find the right
masters for them.
So the family settled down into a life which was quiet compared with
the first few weeks of their stay in Paris.
The masters came every morning except Saturday, and that day was always
devoted to sightseeing or pleasures of some sort. Occasionally, too, a
whole holiday was taken during the week, for Mr. Farrington said he had
a vivid recollection of a certain proverb which discussed the result of
all work and no play.
Patty declared she was never afraid of any lack of play hours in the
Farrington family, and she enjoyed alike both her morning tasks and her
afternoon pleasures.
Twice a week a professor came to give her singing lessons, and it was
arranged that at the same hour Elise should be busy with her drawing
master. Though Elise did not show promise of becoming a really great
artist, her parents thought it wise to cultivate such talent as she
possessed, if only for the pleasure it might give to herself and her
friends.
So Elise worked away at her drawing from casts, and occasionally
painted flowers in water colours, while Patty practised her scales, and
learned to sing some pretty little French ballads.
Though neither of the girls was possessed of genius, they both had
talent, and by application to study they found themselves rapidly
improving in their arts.
As Patty had expected, she developed an intense interest in French
history, and as Elise shared this taste, they learned their lessons
well, and also read books of history outside of school hours quite from
choice.
[Illustration with caption: "They also read books of history outside of
school hours quite from choice"]
There were a great many Americans residing in Paris, and it was not
long before Mr. and Mrs. Farrington renewed old acquaintances there,
and also made new ones among the American colony.
This meant pleasant associates for the girls, and they soon became
acquainted with several American families.
Indeed, the house next to their own, was occupied by an American family
named Barstow, with whom the Farringtons soon made friends.
The young people of the family were Rosamond, a girl of seventeen, and
her brother Martin, a few years older.
The first time they met, Elise and Patty took a decided liking to the
Barstows, and Rosamond often spent the afternoon with them, while they
chatted gaily over their work, or went driving with them along the
beautiful Bois, or visited the galleries with them.