“Thank you,” he said gravely, as Patty finished telling of the glories which would attend his future career. “I don’t think there’s anything omitted from that string of good luck, unless it’s being President, and I’m not quite sure I want to be that.”
“Yes, you do,” said Patty, “every good American ought to want that, if only as a matter of patriotism.”
“Well, I’m patriotic enough,” said Kenneth, “and I’ll want it if you want me to want it. And now, Patty, you’ve worked here long enough for the present. Let somebody else take your place, and you come with me for a walk about the grounds. I’ll take you to the pergola, and we’ll buy some flowers from Elise.”
“I’d love to go, Ken, but truly I ought to stay here a while longer. Lots of people want their fortune told, and nobody can do it but me, because I learnt all that lingo out of a book. No, I can’t go now. Run along,—I’m busy.”
Patty spoke more shortly than she meant to, for the very reason that she wanted to go with Kenneth, but she felt it her duty to remain at her post.
Kenneth appreciated the principle of the thing, but he thought that Patty might have been a little kinder about it. His own temper was a little stirred by the incident, and rising quickly, he said, “All right, stay here, then!” And turning on his heel, he sauntered carelessly away.
Patty looked after him, thinking what a handsome boy he was, and how well his Italian suit became him. Kenneth’s skin was naturally rather dark, and his black eyes and hair and heavy eyebrows were somewhat of the Italian type. His white linen blouse was slightly turned in at the throat and he wore a crimson silk tie, and sash to match, knotted at one side. A broad-brimmed hat of soft grey felt sat jauntily on his head, and as he swung himself down the path, Patty thought she had never seen him look so well.
Soon after this, Charlie Roland came back again.
“I’ve brought someone to help you out,” he said, as he introduced a young girl who accompanied him. “This is Miss Leslie and she knows fortune telling from the ground up. Give her a red sash, and a bandana handkerchief to tie around her head, and let her take your place, if only for a short time; and you come with me to buy some flowers. Do you know, your costume really calls for some scarlet blossoms in your hair, and over in the pergola they have some red geraniums that are simply great. Come on, let’s get some.”
Patty did want some red flowers, and had meant to have some, but she dressed in such a hurry that there was no time to find any. Moreover, she had never known Charlie Roland to appear to such good advantage. He seemed to have dropped his pompous manner with his civilised dress, and in his comical Chinaman’s costume, he seemed far more attractive than in his own everyday dress. And since he had provided her with a substitute, Patty saw no reason for refusing his invitation.