“I don’t see why not, Phil. There’s nobody I’d rather see Patty marry than you, but she is determined she won’t listen to such a thing yet. She says she has too much fun being a belle, to tie herself down to any one man. And perhaps she is right. She’s only twenty, and while that’s quite old enough to marry, if she wants to, yet it’s young enough to wait a while if she prefers.”
“I quite agree to that. It’s only that I want to be on the spot when she does make up her mind to marry. Of course she will, eventually.”
“Of course. And you have every chance. Now, as to this other matter, do you think Mr. Farnsworth instigated the idea?”
“I gathered that from different things that were said. And the actress person was his friend. And I know that he took Patty over to Poland Spring House to see her.”
“What’s her name?”
“Kent,—Maude Kent. They call her Maudie.”
“Queer Patty hasn’t mentioned her. I agree with you, that looks as if she took the thing seriously.”
“Oh, perhaps not,” and Philip rose to go. “It may be I exaggerate the danger. But I’m so fearful of that capricious nature of hers,—you never can tell what whim she’ll fly at next.”
“That’s true, and I’m so much obliged to you for putting me on my guard.”
Nan said nothing to her husband on this subject, but she watched Patty more carefully. She was clever enough not to let the supervision be apparent, but it was unremittent.