A NEW HOME
Great was the rejoicing and celebration when Mr. and Mrs. Fairfield
returned from their wedding trip. They came to the apartment to remain
there for a few days before moving to the new house.
Patty welcomed Nan with open arms, and it was harder than ever for her to
attend to her studies when there was so much going on in the family.
The furnishing of the new house was almost completed, but there remained
several finishing touches to be attended to. As Patty's time was so much
occupied, she was not allowed to have any hand in this work. Mrs. Allen
had come on from Philadelphia to help her daughter, and Grandma Elliott
assisted in dismantling the apartment, preparatory to giving it up.
So when Patty started to school one Friday morning, and was told that
when the session was over she was to go to her new home to stay, she felt
as if she were going to an unexplored country.
It was with joyful anticipations that she put on her hat and coat, after
school, and started home.
Her father had given her a latch-key, and as she stepped in at the front
door, Nan, in a pretty house dress, stood ready to welcome her.
"My dear child," she said, "welcome home. How do you like the prospect?"
"It's lovely," said Patty, gazing around at as much as she could see of
the beautiful house and its well-furnished rooms. "What a lot of new
things there are, and I recognise a good many of the old ones, too. Oh,
Nan, won't we be happy all here together?"
"Indeed we will," said Nan. "I think it's the loveliest house in the
world, and mother and Fred have fixed it up so prettily. Come up and see
your room, Patty."
A large, pleasant front room on the third floor had been assigned to
Patty's use, and all her own special and favourite belongings had been
placed there.
"How dear of you, Nan, to arrange this all for me, and put it all to
rights. I really couldn't have taken the time to do it myself, but it's
just the way I want it."
"And this," said Nan, opening a door into a small room adjoining, "is
your own little study, where you can be quiet and undisturbed, while
you're studying those terrific lessons of yours."
Patty gave a little squeal of delight at the dainty library, furnished in
green, and with her own desk and bookcases already in place.
"But don't think," Nan went on, "that we shall let you stay here and grub
away at those books much of the time. An hour a day is all we intend to
allow you to be absent from our family circle while you're in the house."
"An hour a day to study!" exclaimed Patty. "It's more likely that an hour
a day is all I can give you of my valuable society."
"We'll see about that," said Nan, wagging her head wisely. "You see I
have some authority now, and I intend to exercise it."
"Ha," said Patty, dramatically, "I see it will be war to the knife!"
"To the knife!" declared Nan, as she ran away laughing.
Patty looked about her two lovely rooms with genuine pleasure. She was
like a cat in her love of comfortable chairs and luxurious cushions, and
she fully appreciated the special and individual care with which Nan and
her father had considered her tastes. Had she not been so busy she would
have preferred to have a hand in the arranging of her rooms herself, but
as it was, she was thankful that someone else had done it for her.
Hastily throwing off her hat and coat, she flung herself into a
comfortable easy chair by her library table, and was soon deep in her
French lesson.
A couple of hours later Nan came up and found her there.
"Patty Fairfield!" she exclaimed. "You are the worst I ever saw! Get
right up and dress for dinner! Your father will be home in a few minutes,
and I want you to help me receive properly the master of the house."
Patty rubbed her eyes and blinked, as Nan pulled the book away from her,
and said, "Why, what time is it?"
"Time for you to stop studying, and come out of your shell and mingle
with the world. Wake up!" and Nan gave Patty a little shake.
Patty came to herself and jumped up, saying, "Indeed, I'm glad enough to
leave my horrid books, and I'm hungry enough to eat any dinner you may
set before me. What shall I wear, Nan?"
"Put on that pretty light blue thing of yours, with the lace yoke. This
is rather a festival night, and we're going to celebrate the first dinner
in our new home."
So Patty brushed her curly hair and tied on a white ribbon bow of such
exceeding size and freshness that she looked almost as if wings were
sprouting from her shoulders. Then she donned her light blue frock, and
went dancing downstairs, to find that her father had already arrived.
"Well, Pattikins," he said, "can you feel at home in this big house,
after living so long in our apartment?"
"Yes, indeed," said Patty, "any place is home where you and Nan are."
The dinner passed off gaily enough. Only the three were present, as Nan
did not want any guests the first night.
Although the dining-room appointments were those that had furnished the
Fairfields'Vernondale home, yet they were so augmented by numerous
wedding gifts of Nan's that Patty felt as if she were at a dinner party
of unusual splendour.
"It's lovely to live in a house with a bride," she said, "because there
are such beautiful silver and glass things on the table, and on the
sideboard."
"Yes," said Nan, glancing around her with satisfaction. "I intend to use
all my things. I think it's perfectly silly to pack them away in a safe,
and never have any good of them."
"But suppose burglars break in and steal them," said Patty.
"Well, even so," said Nan, placidly, "they would be gone, but it wouldn't
be much different from having them stored away in a safe deposit
company."
"Nan's principle is right," said Mr. Fairfield. "Now, here's the way I
look at it: what you can't afford to lose, you can't afford to buy.
Remember that, Patty, and if ever you are tempted to invest a large sum
of money in a diamond or silver or any portable property, look upon that
money as gone forever. True, you might realise on your possession in case
of need, but more likely you could not, and, too, there is always the
chance of losing it by carelessness or theft. So remember that you can't
afford to buy what you can't afford to lose."
"That's a new idea to me, papa," said Patty, "but I see what you mean and
I know you are right. However, there's little chance of my investing in
silver at present, for I can just as well use Nan's."
"Of course you can," said Nan, heartily; "and whenever you want to have
company, or a party of any kind, you've only to mention it, and not only
my silver, but my servants and my own best efforts are at your disposal."
"That's lovely," said Patty, "and I would love to have parties and invite
the schoolgirls and some of the boys, but I can't take the time now. Why,
I couldn't spare an evening from my studies to entertain the crowned
heads of Europe."
"Nonsense," said Mr. Fairfield, "you mustn't work so hard, Puss; and
anyway you'll have to spare this evening, for I asked Hepworth to drop
in, and I think two or three others may come, and we'll have a little
informal housewarming."
"Yes," said Patty, dubiously, "and Kenneth said he would call this
evening, and Elise and Roger may come in. So, as it's Friday evening,
I'll see them, of course; but after this I must study every evening
except Fridays."
A little later on, when a number of guests had assembled in the
Fairfields' drawing-room, Patty looked like anything but a bookworm, or a
pale-faced student. Her eyes danced, and the colour glowed in her pretty
face, for she was very fond of merry society, and always looked her
prettiest when thus animated.
She and Elise entertained the others by quoting some bits from the school
play, Nan sang for them, and Kenneth gave some of his clever and funny
impersonations.
Mr. Hepworth declared that he had no parlour tricks, but Patty asserted
that he had, and she ran laughing from the room, to return with several
large sheets of paper and a stick of drawing charcoal. Then she decreed
that Mr. Hepworth should draw caricature portraits of all those present.
After a little demurring, the artist consented, and shrieks of laughter
arose as his clever pencil swiftly sketched a humorous portrait of each
one.
"It's right down jolly," said Kenneth to Patty, "your having a big house
of your own like this. Mayn't I come often to see you? Mrs. Nan is so
kind, she always has a welcome for me."
"You may come and accept her welcome whenever you like," said Patty, "but
I can't promise to see you, Ken, except Friday evenings. Honestly, I
don't have one minute to myself. You see, we rehearse the play
afternoons, and evenings I have to study, and Saturday is crammed jam
full."
"But she will see you, Kenneth," said Nan, who had heard these remarks.
"We're not going to let her retire from the world in any such fashion as
she proposes; so you come to see us whenever you like, and my word for
it, Patty will be at home to you."
Nan passed on, laughing, and Patty turned to Kenneth with an appealing
glance.
"You know how it is, don't you, Ken? I just have to stick to my work like
everything, or I won't pass those fearful examinations, and now that I've
made up my mind to try for them, I _do_ want to succeed."
"Yes, I know, Patty, and I fully sympathise with your ambitions. Stick to
it, and you'll come out all right yet; and if I should call sometimes
when you're studying, just say you're too busy to see me, and it will be
all right."
"What an old trump you are, Ken. You always seem to understand."
* * * * *
But as the days passed on, Patty found that other people did not
understand. Her study hours were continually interrupted. There were
occasional callers in the afternoon, and when Nan presented herself at
the study door, and begged so prettily that Patty would come down just
this once, the girl hadn't the heart to refuse. Then there was often
company in the evenings, and again Patty would be forced to break through
her rules. Or there were temptations which she really couldn't
resist,--such as when her father came home to dinner, bringing tickets
for the opera, or for some especially fine play.
Then, Nan had a day each week on which she received her friends, and on
these Thursdays Patty was supposed also to act as hostess. Of course this
pleasant duty was imperative, and Patty always enjoyed the little
receptions, though she felt guilty at losing her Thursday afternoons.
Almost invariably, too, some of the guests accepted Nan's invitation to
remain to dinner, and that counted out Thursday evening as well.
Altogether, poor Patty was at her wits' end to find any time to herself.
She tried rising very early in the morning and studying before breakfast,
but she found it difficult to awaken early, and neither Nan nor her
father would allow her to be called.
So she was forced to resort to sitting up late, and studying after the
rest of the household had retired. As her room was on the third floor,
she had no difficulty in pursuing this plan without anyone being aware of
it, but burning the midnight oil soon began to tell on her appearance.
One morning at breakfast, her father said, "Patty, child, what is the
matter with you? Your eyes look like two holes burnt in a blanket! You
weren't up late last night?"
"Not very," said Patty, dropping her eyes before her father's searching
gaze.
Nothing more was said on the subject, but though Patty hated to do
anything secretly, yet she felt she must continue her night work, as it
was really her only chance.
So that night as she sat studying until nearly midnight, her door slowly
opened, and Nan peeped in. She wore a kimono, and her hair was in a long
braid down her back.
"Patty Fairfield," she said, "go to bed at once! You ought to be ashamed
of yourself, to sit up so late when you know your father doesn't want you
to."
"Now, look here, Nan," said Patty, talking very seriously, "I _have_ to
sit up late like this, because I can't get a minute's time through the
day. You know how it is. There's always company, or something going on,
and I can't wake up early in the morning, and I have to sit up late at
night, even if it does make me tired and sleepy and good for nothing the
next day. Oh, Nan, instead of hindering and making fun of me, and
bothering me all you can, I think you might try to help me!"
Patty threw herself on her knees, and burying her face in Nan's lap,
burst into a convulsive flood of tears.
Nan was thoroughly frightened. She had never before seen Patty cry, and
this was more than crying. It was almost hysterical.
Then, like a flash, Nan saw it all. Overwork and worry had so wrought on
Patty's nerves that the girl was half sick and wholly irresponsible for
her actions.
With a ready tact, Nan patted the golden head, and gently soothed the
excited child.
"Never mind, Patty, darling," she said, "and try to forgive me, won't
you? I fear I have been rather blind to the true state of the case, but I
see more plainly now, and I will help you, indeed I will. I will see to
it that you shall have your hours for study just as you want them, and
you shall not be interrupted. Dear little girl, you're all tired out, and
your nerves are all on edge, and no wonder. Now, hop along to bed, and
you'll see that things will go better after this."
As she talked, Nan had gently soothed the excited girl, and in a quiet,
matter-of-fact way, she helped her prepare for bed, and finally tucked
her up snugly under her down coverlet.
"Good-night, dearie," she said; "go to sleep without a bother on your
mind, and remember that after this Nan will see to it that you shall have
other times to study than the middle of the night."
"Good-night," said Patty, "and I'm sorry I made such a baby of myself.
But truly, Nan, I'm bothered to death with those old lessons and the play
and everything."
"That's all right; just go to sleep and dream of Commencement Day, when
all the bothers will be over, and you'll get your diploma and your medal,
and a few dozen bouquets besides."
And with a final good-night kiss, Nan left the worn-out girl and returned
thoughtfully to her own room.