“We shan’t have a cast-iron itinerary,” said Mr. Fairfield, as he produced a bundle of maps and time-tables and memoranda. “We’ll leave next Wednesday for Paris, stay there a day or two, if you girls want to shop a little, then when we’re ready, we’ll take the Rome express, right through. After we’re well settled in Rome, and have seen more or less of its sights, we’ll plan what to do next. In a general way, I may say that we’ll go from Rome up to the other principal cities, and back to Rome again. We may decide to spend the whole winter there, but, for my part, I’d be best pleased, that is, if it suits you two, to eat my Christmas dinner in New York City, U. S. A.”
“Me too!” cried Patty, her thoughts suddenly rolling in a homesick wave toward her native land.
“Me too!” cried Nan, enthusiastically, but Mr. Fairfield only smiled, and said:
“We won’t decide that now; we’ll have a fine Italian trip, and it shall be shorter or longer, as suits our pleasure.”
“Dear old Daddy,” said Patty, “you have the most gumption of anybody I know. I’m so glad I picked out a wise father, as well as such a handsome one.”
“I wish you had inherited either trait,” said Mr. Fairfield, with a mock sigh, and Patty answered him only by a saucy glance.
The few days that intervened between their arrival in London and their departure for Paris were busy ones for Nan and Patty. There was some shopping to be done, but this was hurried through that they might have more time to pay farewell visits to some of their favourite haunts.
“But you must get some dresses, Patty,” said Nan, as Patty, declared her intention of spending a day in the picture galleries; “you can’t wear garden-party muslin, and chiffon evening gowns on Italian railroads.”
“Italians don’t have railroads, my ignorant little stepmother; they have railways,—or, more likely they call them by some absurd, unpronounceable name of their own. Well, as I was saying, I’ll get dresses in Paris, but if we’re really going home from Italy, straight to New York, and not coming back here again, there are some ‘loved spots that my infancy knew’ in London, to which I simply must repair once more!”