A BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST
It was not quite twelve o’clock when the Swift Camilla swung through the
gateway of “The Pebbles,” and around the long drive to the house. As
might have been expected, the waiting group on the veranda greeted the
returned runaways with various but vociferous exclamations.
Several of them said, “Why, Patty Fairfield!” Several others said,
“Where have you been?”
Roger called out, cheerily: “You must have had a ripping good time! Wish
I’d been along!”
Mr. Fairfield said only, “Patty!” and Mr. Hepworth said nothing at all,
but looked at Patty with an unmistakable expression of reproof.
Philip Van Reypen took the brunt of the situation upon himself. He
jumped out of the car, assisted Patty out, and led her straight to her
father.
“Mr. Fairfield,” he said, “here’s your daughter, safe and sound, I’m
happy to say. But I want you to decorate her with the Victoria Cross, or
something just as good, for to-night she has proved herself a genius,—a
wonderful genius! But for her ingenuity we should still be sitting in
her little motor car, high and dry on a moonlit beach, listening to the
wild waves. To her all the honour and glory, and, if there is any blame
attached to our little excursion, it is mine. I kidnapped your daughter,
but I fully meant to return her in ten or fifteen minutes, without
ransom. I am no villain! But, owing to an accident, we were delayed.”
“I should think you were!” broke in Mr. Fairfield. “It is nearly
midnight, and I am——”
“Papa,” interrupted Patty, “I know exactly what you are! You are
surprised, astounded, amazed, astonished, dumfounded, taken aback,
struck all of a heap, and completely flabbergasted! If you are anything
else, you can let me know to-morrow. Meantime, we are two heroes, who
returned with our shield, and on it, both! Incidentally we are starving,
and, if we had some supper, we could relate our experiences in fine
shape.”
Patty’s arms were round her father’s neck, and, with a wheedlesome
expression, her eyes looked up into his, and somehow Mr. Fairfield’s
indignation melted away.
“Patty’s quite right,” declared Nan, taking sides with the culprits.
“Let’s all go to the dining-room, and then later we’ll hear about
Patty’s heroism.”
“Mr. Van Reypen was just as much of a hero as I,” declared Patty, as,
with her arm tucked through her father’s, she led the way to the
dining-room, where a dainty little supper had been waiting for the
return of the missing ones.
“It really wasn’t a matter of heroics,” said Philip Van Reypen; “it was
only a simple, plain, everyday breakdown, caused by a separated battery
strap. But the glorious part of it all was Miss Fairfield’s cleverness
in finding a remedy for the trouble, when it seemed at first there was
absolutely none.”
And then, while they ate salad and sandwiches, the interested audience
listened to a full description of the breakdown, told in Philip Van
Reypen’s most graphic style. In no way did he try to evade the blame for
the escapade; he frankly admitted that he ought not to have taken Patty
off without permission, but so winning was his frank manner, and so
gleeful his enjoyment of the whole recital, that he won the sympathy of
all present.
“It’s all right, Philip, my boy,” declared Mr. Fairfield, heartily. “I
don’t blame you a bit for yielding to the temptation to slip out of the
gate, and of course you could not foresee that peculiar accident. And I
am proud of my girl for thinking of a way to fix the thing up! Tinfoil!
Well, well! I doubt if I should have thought of that myself!”
Patty smiled and dimpled at the praises showered upon her from all
sides, and she caught an approving smile from Mr. Hepworth, which showed
his appreciation of what she had done.
“But I’m very sorry to have failed in my duty as hostess,” she said,
demurely. “Did you manage to get along without me?”
“Oh, I was here,” said Nan, gaily, “and I kept the young people in
order.”
“We did have a lovely time, Patty,” said Elise; “the walk along the
beach was delightful; wasn’t it, Christine?”
“Yes,” replied Christine, slowly; “I never saw anything like it. I
didn’t know there was so much beauty in the world.”
Mr. Hepworth smiled at the rapturous expression on the face of the
Southern girl; and then he declared that it was quite time he and Mr.
Van Reypen should depart for their own domicile.
“But you’re to come back here to-morrow morning for breakfast,” said
Nan, hospitably. “We’ll breakfast at nine, and inaugurate Patty’s
birthday, which I can assure you is going to be a pretty busy day for
all concerned.”
“It’s lovely to have a birthday,” sighed Patty as, a few moments later,
she went up the broad staircase with her arms around Elise and
Christine, who were on either side of her.
“And this is such a lovely continuous performance,” said Elise. “We’ve
had a lot of fun already, and the birthday isn’t really begun yet.”
“Well, it has really begun,” said Patty, “because it’s after midnight,
and so it’s already to-morrow; but we won’t have any more celebration
until breakfast is ready. So good-night, girls, and be sure to be up on
time for my birthday breakfast.”
* * * * *
The girls obeyed this parting injunction, but Patty herself overslept,
and it was half-past eight in the morning when she opened her eyes to
find her two girl friends hovering over her.
“Wake up, sleepy-head!” said Elise, pulling Patty’s curls. “I say,
Patty, how jolly it is for you to sleep out here! But don’t you almost
freeze?”
“Oh, no, indeed! I have so much bed-covering that I sleep warm as toast;
but I love to feel the sea air blow on my face.”
Patty’s sleeping veranda was almost like a room. Partially enclosed on
three sides, the front was open to the sea. There were broad wicker
blinds to be drawn at will, but, unless in case of a very strong sea
breeze, they were seldom drawn.
The girls were in their kimonos, and Patty sent them flying as she
sprang up herself.
“Go on, you two, and finish dressing; I’ll be ready before you are,
now!”
Elise and Christine scampered away, and Patty began to dress with all
speed. And by nine o’clock she went downstairs, fresh and dainty, in a
white, embroidered muslin frock, with knots of light-blue ribbon.
Elise and Christine also wore white _lingerie_ dresses; Elise’s being
much befrilled and adorned, while Christine’s was far more simple. But
each was suited to the type of girl who wore it, and when Nan appeared,
also in a white gown, it was a picturesque quartette that stood on the
veranda looking at the sunlit sea.
“Here they come!” cried Elise, as Mr. Hepworth and Mr. Van Reypen
appeared round the corner. “And, Patty, see! They’re bringing presents
to you! Just look at their arms full of tissue paper!”
Sure enough, both the men carried large parcels elaborately done up in
tissue paper and bright ribbons. They came up laughing, and with merry
birthday greetings to the queen of the occasion.
“Breakfast is ready,” said Nan. “We were just waiting for you. Bring
those impressive-looking paper affairs with you, to the table; there’s
quite a collection there already.”
And, indeed, there was! The whole party took their seats at the large
round table, and at Patty’s place was a veritable mountain of
white-wrapped parcels.
“I’m overcame!” she exclaimed. “It’s quite enough to have all you lovely
people come to visit me, without having gifts besides!”
“Do open them, Patty!” cried Elise. “I’m crazy to see what they are!”
“Just for that I’ll open yours first, Elise,” said Patty, laughing.
“Which is it?”
“This one,” replied Elise, touching a large parcel; “and it’s perfectly
heavenly, Patty! I did it, every stitch, myself!”
“I did every stitch of mine, too,” murmured Roger, “if that makes a
present more acceptable.”
Patty untied Elise’s gift, and it proved to be an embroidered muslin
hat, very frilly as to brim, and ornamented with tiny, pink-satin
rose-buds.
“How lovely!” cried Patty. “Thank you, a thousand times, Elise. The idea
of your making those billions of stitches for poor, wuthless me!”
“Wouldn’t you make one for me?” asked Kenneth, “if it’s a mark of such
devoted friendship?”
“I’ll make you two,” declared Elise, with a smiling glance at him. “Put
it on, Patty; let’s see how it looks.”
So Patty put on the pretty frilled hat, and it formed a most appropriate
frame around her golden halo of hair, and her flushed rose-leaf face.
She had never looked prettier, and everybody present gave back an
answering smile to the dancing eyes and dimpled mouth that challenged
it.
Philip Van Reypen said, “By Jove!” under his breath, and Roger, who
overheard, murmured, “Yes, and then some!”
Then Patty unwrapped her other gifts. Christine’s came next, and it was
a beautiful water colour of her own, in a simple, appropriate frame.
“It’s exquisite, Christine dear,” said Patty, “and I just love it! How
you are getting on! This is a real work of art, isn’t it, Mr. Hepworth?”
“It is truly good work,” replied Gilbert Hepworth, and the approving
glance he gave Christine brought the colour to her cheeks, and made her
drop her eyes.
“Don’t tell her how lovely it is,” said Patty, laughing; “Christine
can’t stand praise in public. Wait till I get you alone, girlie, and
then you’ll see if I have a grateful nature!”
“Oh, open mine next!” cried Roger. “If you’re going to take us apart and
tell us of your gratitude alone, I want to go right now!”
“You can’t,” said Patty. “You have to be thanked right before all the
rest of the people! But this is great! You know I love these crazy
things.”
Patty had opened Roger’s gift, and it was a grotesque bronze figure,
representing some strange Japanese god. It was fascinating in its very
ugliness, and was a really beautiful specimen of Japanese craft.
“You’re not eating any breakfast, Patty,” said Mr. Hepworth, suddenly.
“Let me undo the next parcel, while you try some of this delicious
omelette. I can vouch for its quality.”
“All right,” said Patty, “I _am_ starving. And as a reward of merit, Mr.
Hepworth, I’ll let you untie your own gift.”
“Good! I love to be in the limelight! Now this is mine, and may you
enjoy it many times when I am far away.”
Then Mr. Hepworth displayed a very beautiful and complete automobile
lunch basket, with fittings for two. It was of the finest design and
workmanship, and the appointments were of the newest and best.
“Just what I want!” cried Patty. “Now I can go out for a whole-day
picnic. And it’s such a lovely picnic basket! Mr. Hepworth, you do think
of the loveliest things!”
The grateful glance that Patty gave him was met by one equally friendly,
and, in order to escape drawing further attention to himself, Mr.
Hepworth quickly opened the next parcel.
This proved to be Philip Van Reypen’s gift, and, as it was being opened,
he said: “I, too, should have liked to bring you a really worthwhile
gift; but I felt, Miss Fairfield, that I’m too much of a stranger to
indulge in anything but the conventional ‘books, candy, or flowers.’ So
I have brought you only a box of candy, but I hope you will have many
happy returns of to-day, when I shall be an old friend, and can give you
anything I choose.”
He looked enviously at the other men present, who had known Patty so
much longer than he had; but, when his box of candy was finally released
from its wrappings, everybody exclaimed in admiration. For it was by no
means a simple box, but was really a French jewel case, whose various
compartments were lined with tufted blue satin, and, though now filled
with bonbons, were intended to hold trinkets. The outside was of French
brocade, decorated with gold filigree and tiny French flowers.
Altogether it was an exquisite piece of handicraft, and yet Mr. Van
Reypen had, after all, only presented the conventional “box of candy.”
Nan was greatly pleased at his cleverness. She had liked Philip Van
Reypen from the first, and he had proved himself a cultured and
intelligent gentleman in every respect.
Kenneth’s gift was a fan; a point-lace mount, with pearl sticks. He had
showed taste in the selection, and Patty was greatly pleased with it.
Indeed, she was enraptured with all her lovely gifts, and fairly bubbled
over with enthusiastic thanks.
“This is my present, Patty,” said Nan, producing a very long box. “It
was too big to put on the table with the others, so please accept it,
with the wish that it may prove useful some day.”
The long box contained a white-lace parasol, which was just the thing to
be carried with Patty’s pretty summer costumes.
“Oh, Nan, what a duck you are!” she cried. “I suppose this is from you
and father both, as I don’t see anything else from him.”
“Not so, not so, my child,” said Mr. Fairfield, taking a small box from
his pocket. “On your nineteenth birthday I want to give you a gift all
by myself.”
He handed Patty the box, and in it was a pearl ring. It was a beautiful
pearl, and not too large for a young girl to wear. Everybody admired it,
and Patty slipped it on her finger, and then, holding her lace parasol
open above her head, she fanned herself with Kenneth’s fan. As she still
wore Elise’s embroidered hat, she made a pretty picture of a typical
summer girl.
“You look like a girl on a calendar,” said Roger; “rather fussily gotten
up, but picturesque in a way!”
They all laughed at Roger’s speech, which really fitted the case, and
then, breakfast being over, they gathered up Patty’s treasures and
adjourned to the hall.