“Where do I come in?” said a laughing voice, and a big, laughing man left his seat by the fireplace and came toward them.
“This is my brother,” said Adèle, “by name, Mr. Harold Ferris,—but commonly called Chub.”
The name was not inapt, for Mr. Ferris showed a round, chubby face, with big, dancing black eyes and ringlets of dark hair clustered on his brow. Only his enormous size prevented his appearance being positively infantile, and his round, dimpled face was as good-natured as that of a laughing baby.
“And so you’re the two girls who are to spend Christmas with us,” he said, beaming down on them from his great height. “Well, you’ll do!”
He looked approvingly from Patty’s flower face to Mona’s glowing beauty, and truly it would have been hard to find two more attractive looking girls. The sudden transition from the cold out-of-doors to the warmth of the blazing fire had flushed their cheeks and brightened their eyes, and the hearty welcome they received brought smiles of delight to their faces.
“Now, come away with me,” said Adèle, “and get off your furs and wraps, and make yourselves pretty for tea.”
“Oh, I know what you’ll do,” said Chub, in an aggrieved tone. “You’ll just go upstairs and hob-nob and talk and gossip and chatter and babble, and never get down here again! I know girls! Why, first thing I know, you’ll be having your tea sent up there!”
“Great idea!” exclaimed Patty, twinkling her eyes at him. “Let’s do that, Adèle; kimono party, you know. We’ll see you at dinner time, Mr. Ferris.”
“Dinner time, nothing! If you’re not back here in fifteen minutes, the whole crowd of you, I’ll—I’ll——”
“Well, what will you do?” laughed Mona.