At Leyden Mr. Fabian showed the girls the university that is erected on the ground where the Pilgrims landed after their flight from England, and before their historic sailing for America. And at Haarlem, the two girls Polly and Eleanor, bought a lot of healthy bulbs to be sent home for planting in the Spring. As Haarlem is the center of the bulb-growing industry of Holland, it displayed more tulips to the square foot, than the girls had ever thought it possible to grow.
That evening the two cars entered Amsterdam. The hotel was good, and the stop-over most welcome, for the autoists were tired of the continuous ride for several days, resting only at night.
The Count managed to get in telephonic connection with Paris, that night, and immediately afterwards, he seemed ill at ease. So much so, that he finally left the others and they saw him no more that evening. Mrs. Alexander showed her disappointment at this unexpected action of her charming Count and refused to be condoled by anyone else.
At breakfast in the morning, Count Chalmys announced his unexpected desertion of the touring party. “I find I have to fly at once to my domain in Northern Italy, my dear friends. A most unexpected business affair there demands my presence. Ah, such is the tormented life of a land-owner. He can never enjoy freedom, but must always be at the beck and call of others.”
“Good gracious, Count! Won’t you join us again, as soon as you settle this business in Italy?” asked Mrs. Alexander, anxiously.
“I trust I may, dear lady. But you must surely visit me at my palace, when you tour Italy,” returned the gallant Count. Then he gave minute directions to Mr. Fabian how they might reach his estates.
After Count Chalmys had gone the tourists had Mrs. Alexander to entertain; before this she had devoted her entire time to the Count as he was her guest in the small car. Now she insisted upon the girls taking turns to ride in her car, and this proved to be unappreciated by the three who wished to be with Mr. Fabian in order to hear his opinions on the places they passed. Finally Nancy offered to devote her attention to Dodo’s mother until they could discover a new “title” to occupy her heart and mind and roadster.
While in Amsterdam they visited an old-fashioned coffee-shop with living-quarters back of it. When Mr. Fabian explained to the good woman who served, that his girls were decorators from America, and they wished to see the tiles he had heard of in her living-room, she smiled graciously and led the way to the rear rooms.
“Oh Nolla! Look at the funny little ladders one has to climb to reach the beds!” cried Polly, laughingly, as she pointed out the built-in beds about five feet above the floor.
“I should think they’d smother—all shut up back of those curtains, at night,” remarked Dodo.