CHAPTER XII
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.”