"Oh, LOOK who's here!" cried Daisy, suddenly, as a motor car came whizzing up the steps and out jumped Bill Farnsworth.
"I just stopped for a minute," he said to Adele, "to see how you all are after your party."
"All quite well," said Adele, "but sorry you couldn't stay here with us instead of going on."
"Sorry, too," said Farnsworth. "Where's Miss Fairfield?" and he looked about inquiringly.
"Gone for a drive," replied Adele, and Farnsworth made no further reference to Patty. But his call was short and soon he was again starting his car.
"Which way did Miss Fairfield go?" he murmured in a low voice to
Kenerley, as his car moved off.
"East," said Jim, with a teasing smile at Farnsworth, and then Bill was gone.
He swung out on to the broad highway and turned east. There were no bypaths near and he had an intention of following and overtaking Patty. He wanted to see her, and with Bill Farnsworth to want to do anything was to do it.
Now it chanced that Patty had had a detention. Though an expert driver, and a fairly good mechanician for her own car, she was not entirely familiar with the car she was driving, and when it stopped stock-still at the side of the road, she found herself unable to discover the exact difficulty.
She was not overanxious, for it was a frequented road and she felt sure some car would come along, in whose driver she might feel sufficient confidence to ask help. But it so chanced that she sat for some time before any car came. The sun was warm and she threw off her coat, really enjoying basking in the sunshine while she waited.