A MOONLIGHT RIDE
Patty seemed a little quiet as she and Roger drove to the station, for
she was thinking how foolish Elise was, and what a lot of trouble she
could stir up, if she chose to indulge in that stupid jealousy of
Christine. If Christine had been more able to resent it, and take her
own part, it would not have been so bad, but she was so sensitive to the
slightest coldness, and so afraid of seeming to impose on Patty’s
friendship, that it made the situation a little difficult.
But Roger’s gay banter revived Patty’s drooping spirits, and, when they
reached the station, they were in a gale of laughter over some joking
nonsense.
The train soon arrived, and they saw Christine and Mr. Hepworth step
down on to the station platform.
Roger met them, and conducted them to Patty. Then there were more
compliments and congratulations on the new car, and soon Christine was
tucked in beside Patty, and the two men waved them farewell.
“How are you, Christine?” asked Patty, looking anxiously at the girl’s
pale cheeks.
“Oh, I’m all right. A little tired, but a day or two down here will set
me up wonderfully, I know.”
“A day or two! You must stay a week, at least.”
“No, I can’t possibly, Patty. My work is very important just now, and I
must go back day after to-morrow.”
“We’ll see about that;” and Patty wagged her head, positively. “And look
here, Christine, while I have you by yourself, I want to tell you
something. Elise Farrington is here, you know, and she has a silly
notion of some sort that makes her resent my friendship for you. Now I
want to ask you, as a special favour to me, not to pay any attention to
her foolishness. If she snubs you right out, I’ll attend to her case
myself; but, if she just flings little bits of hateful allusions at you,
don’t mind them, will you, dear?”
“I can’t help it, Patty. Unkind speeches shrivel me all up somehow; I
just can’t stand them!”
“Well, stand them for my sake, please. You know _I_ can’t help it, and,
if I had thought you wouldn’t have a good time, I wouldn’t have asked
you here when Elise is here. But, you see, it’s my birthday house party,
and I want all of my dearest friends with me.”
“And you count me among them? Oh, Patty, how good you are to me! Truly,
I will try not to be foolishly sensitive, and I promise not to notice
anything Elise may do or say, if I can possibly help it.”
“That’s a good girl,” said Patty, giving Christine’s arm a little
squeeze. “But isn’t it funny, Christine, that I have these little petty
troubles among my girl friends, and never among my boy friends. The boys
are all so nice to me, and they never get jealous of each other or
anything silly like that. But you see this place we’re just passing?
It’s called ‘Red Chimneys,’ and I have a girl friend in there,—at
least, she’s an acquaintance,—who makes me a lot of trouble, too.”
“I don’t make you trouble, Patty, do I?”
“Well, of course, it’s mostly Elise’s fault, but, if you’ll just ignore
it, and stand up for your own rights, you can help me a whole lot.”
“I will, Patty; indeed, I will!” said Christine, earnestly, and then
they arrived at “The Pebbles.”
Dinner that night was a gay and jolly feast. It was the eve of the
birthday, and the house party had already assumed an air of festivity.
Mr. Van Reypen and Kenneth Harper had come down later than the others,
and Philip Van Reypen had established himself at the hotel where Mr.
Hepworth was, while Kenneth was a house guest at “The Pebbles.”
But the men from the hotel came over to dinner, and announced their
intention of staying as late as they would be allowed.
Also, to Patty’s dismay, Mona Galbraith had come over just before
dinner, and, as she was still there when dinner was announced, Nan felt
herself really obliged to ask the girl to dine with them.
Patty didn’t like it at all, but there was no help for it, and so Mona
stayed. She looked very pretty that night, and was not quite so
overdressed as usual. Moreover, she made herself bright and
entertaining, without showing any of her less desirable traits of
character.
Seated between Roger and Mr. Van Reypen, she ingratiated herself with
both, and, when Patty saw that the boys seemed to like Mona, she felt
rather glad she was there.
After dinner they all drifted out to the verandas, and, as it was a
moonlight night and high breakers were dashing in on the beach, there
was the usual chorus of admiration for the glories of the seashore.
There was much gay chatter and laughter, there was some desultory
singing of songs, and at last Elise jumped up, saying: “I just can’t
stand it any longer! I simply _must_ go down to the beach! Will anybody
go with me?”
“I will,” said Kenneth, gallantly. “I was just thinking about that
myself. Anybody else want to go?”
“I want to go,” said Christine, a little timidly, and Patty looked up in
surprise, at the idea of Christine wanting to go with Elise anywhere.
But Christine was longing to get down to the water, and see the ocean
nearer by, for it was about two blocks from “The Pebbles,” though no
buildings intervened.
“Mayn’t I go with you, Christine?” said Mr. Hepworth; and, with a glance
of gratitude, Christine said, “Yes, indeed.”
“Come on, then,” sung out Kenneth. “All ashore that’s going! Let’s all
go.”
But Roger said that the ocean must wait for him until next day, for he
was going over to “Red Chimneys” with Miss Galbraith, just then.
“What for?” asked Patty, in amazement.
“He wants to see father’s birds,” explained Mona. “You know, my father
has a really wonderful collection of stuffed birds,—and he’ll be
delighted to show them to Mr. Farrington, who says he is interested in
them.”
“All right,” said Patty; “run along, you two. But don’t stay late,
Roger; we keep early hours down here.”
“All right, Patty, I won’t;” and Roger walked away with Miss Galbraith,
while Patty looked after them with a puzzled glance.
The four who wanted to walk to the beach had already started, leaving
the two senior Fairfields and Patty and Mr. Van Reypen on the veranda.
“It’s perfectly heavenly to get away from the city, and down to this
beautiful, quiet, peaceful spot,” said Philip Van Reypen, as he seated
himself on the veranda railing, and leaned against a pillar.
“Is your life in the city so full of strife that you welcome peace?”
asked Patty, smiling.
“Oh, the city itself is full of strife,” returned Van Reypen; “isn’t it,
Mr. Fairfield?”
“Yes; compared to the seashore, it certainly is. This expanse of blue
ocean is much more peaceful and calm than a scene in Wall Street, for
instance.”
“Yes, that’s what I mean; and to get down here and just bask in the
calmness and peace is a great delight to me. It was awfully good of you
people to ask me.”
“We like to have you here,” said Nan, smiling at the young man’s frank
and heartfelt gratitude.
“And I think it’s good of you to come,” said Patty; “for you must have
lots of invitations to grander houses than this.”
“My child,” said Philip Van Reypen, looking at her, gravely, “it is not
the grandeur of a house that attracts me; it’s the grandeur of the
people. And I think you people are just grand! But, tell me, how do you
like the motor car which you won by such strenuous exertion?”
“Which you helped me to win,” said Patty. “I never could have won it
without your help. And to think you haven’t seen it! Come out to the
garage now, and take a look at it. I’ve never seen it by moonlight
myself; and I know it must look lovely.”
Catching up a light wrap, Patty flung it around her, and, with Mr. Van
Reypen, walked around the house to the garage. The full moon was so very
bright that, when the young man opened the big doors, Patty’s car showed
as clearly and plainly as if it had been daylight.
“Isn’t she a beauty!” said Patty, in a voice almost awestruck, for the
moonlight touched up the car with a sort of magic lustre never seen by
day.
“She sure is!” declared young Van Reypen, with emphasis. “Wow! what
perfection of detail, and what beautiful finish! Can you run it?”
“Can I run it? Well, rather! Why, I’ve run it hundreds of miles since
I’ve had it!”
“Let’s get her out now, and just circle the drive once.”
“Oh, it’s too late now! I’ll take you out in it to-morrow.”
“Nonsense! it’s only about ten o’clock, and it’s as light as noonday.
Come on, let’s do it.”
“All right, I don’t mind. But just around the drive; we won’t go out of
the gate.”
“All right, then; hop in. Let me drive.”
“But I want to show off my driving.”
“Oh, wait until to-morrow for that, Miss Vanity. I know you drive
beautifully, but I want to see how this thing works, myself. You know I
guessed some few of those puzzles.”
“Yes, I know you did. All right, then, you drive.”
Philip assisted Patty in, and then took his own place and grasped the
steering-bar and the controller.
“My, but she is a daisy! All the modern kinks in the way of mechanism!”
They circled the driveway twice, and, when passing the veranda, Patty
turned to wave her hand to her father and Nan, she discovered they were
not there. “Why, they must have gone in!” she said, in surprise.
“Perhaps they went down to the beach,” suggested Van Reypen. “Let’s go
and see.”
They were near the gateway then, and, before Patty knew it, Philip had
swung the car through, and they were spinning along the shore road.
The top of the car was down, and they had an unobstructed view of sea
and shore. The night was still, save for the pounding of the surf, and
the crested billows frothed and dashed on the white sand. The moon
touched everything with its magic, and the sea, the beach, and the
inland were alike shining with a silver glory. The smooth, hard road
stretched ahead of them like a white ribbon, and it was small wonder
that Philip Van Reypen did not stifle the impulse to send the car
spinning ahead.
“Oh!” breathed Patty, entranced by the wonderful beauty of the night,
and the exhilaration of that swift, soundless, gliding motion through
it.
“Isn’t it great!” whispered Philip. “Did you _ever_ know anything like
it?”
“No, I _never_ did! It’s like being in some enchanted place! I’ve never
before been out at night.”
“And there never was such a night as this! Are you afraid?”
“Oh, no, not a bit! I know my car too well, and I know you are not
driving recklessly, though we are going pretty fast.”
Philip slowed down his speed a little, and they went steadily on.
“We oughtn’t to be doing this,” said Patty, laughing like a gleeful
child.
“Why not?” asked her companion, in an aggrieved tone.
“Oh, lots of reasons! For one thing, I’m a hostess.”
“Yes, but you haven’t any guests. They’ve all scooted off by themselves
in different directions; even your father and mother deserted the
veranda, so I’m the only guest you have for the moment, and, I assure
you, I’m being very pleasantly entertained.”
“So am I,” said Patty, demurely. “But somehow I have an uneasy feeling
that I’ll catch a scolding for this! I’m not accustomed to going out
with a young man late at night.”
“Oh, well, I’m not very young, and it isn’t very late, so don’t bother
about that. And anyway, if you’re going to catch a scolding, you may as
well have the fun first. And it _is_ fun, isn’t it?”
“Oh, it’s gorgeous fun! I never enjoyed anything more! But we mustn’t go
any further. We’re about three miles beyond Spring Beach now.”
Sure enough, they had gone beyond all signs of habitation, and were on a
long, straight stretch of road, with the ocean on one side and pine
woods on the other. It was weirdly beautiful,—the dark shadows of the
pines, darker than ever by contrast with the moonlighted spaces. There
was no boardwalk here, and the sea dashed almost up to the road they
were on.
“All right,” said Philip, in answer to Patty’s suggestion, “we will turn
around in a minute. We’ll just go to that next clump of pines, and then
we’ll turn back.”
He lowered the speed, and they crawled slowly along toward the trees he
had indicated.
“It’s perfect,” sighed Patty, drinking in the beauty all around her.
“I’m glad you helped me guess those questions, or I never should have
had this experience. Except for one moonlight night in Venice, I’ve
never seen anything so lovely.”
“Then you’re glad I brought you, if it _was_ a case of kidnapping?”
“Yes,” said Patty, while a demure smile dimpled at the corners of her
mouth. “I think I like being kidnapped. Are you going to hold me for
ransom?”
“I’d like to, but nobody could offer a ransom big enough to get you
back!”
“Now _that’s_ a pretty speech;” and Patty nodded her head approvingly.
“So, as there’s no ransom to be considered, please take me back to my
fond parents, for I have no doubt they’re scared to death wondering
where I am.”