So neither of these plans seemed just the thing, and Nan’s proposal that Patty go to Philadelphia and spend June with Mrs. Allen wasn’t quite what Patty wanted. Indeed, Patty did not know herself exactly what she wanted, which was pretty good proof that she was not so far from the borders of Nervous Land as they had believed.
And so when Elise came over one afternoon, and brought with her an invitation for Patty, that young woman showed no hesitation in announcing at once that it was exactly what she wanted. The invitation was nothing more nor less than to go on a long motor-car trip with the Farringtons.
“It will be perfectly splendid,” said Elise, “if you’ll only go, Patty.”
“Go!” said Patty, “I should think I would go! It’s perfectly splendid of you to invite me. Who are going?”
“Just father and mother, and Roger and myself,” said Elise, “and you will make five. Roger can run the car, or father can, either, for that matter, so we won’t take a man, and father has had a new top put on his big touring-car and we can pile any amount of luggage up on it, so you can take all the frocks you want to. We’ll stop at places here and there, you know, to visit, and of course, we’ll always stop for meals and to stay over night.”
“But perhaps they wouldn’t want me,” said Patty, “where you go to visit.”
“Nonsense, of course they will. Why, I wrote to Bertha Warner that I wanted to bring you, and she said she’d love to have you come.”
“How could she say so? she doesn’t know me.”
“Well, I told her all about you, and she’s fully prepared to love you as I do. Oh, do you suppose your people will let you go?”
“Of course they will. They’ll be perfectly delighted to have me go.”