“I wish you’d telephone,” she said to Van Reypen, “and see if they’ve started.”
“All right, my liege lady, I will. Just wait a minute, till I get this numbness from my digits.”
“Do let him get warm, Patty,” Helen remonstrated; “the poor man is almost frozen, and you send him to telephone about nothing!”
“’Deed it isn’t nothing! If for any reason Mona doesn’t come, we must go right home, Helen.”
“But don’t cross the bridge before you come to it. At least, let me have a look around. I want to see that sun-parlour and that other palmy nook, over there! Oh, I think this the most fascinating place I ever saw!”
“It _is_ charming. And I’m glad to be here, but I want things right.”
“Patty, you’re not unlike Friend Hamlet. You’re always setting the world right.”
“I know, Phil, but you don’t stop to think. You know we two girls can’t stay here without Mona or some married woman as a chaperon. It doesn’t matter what you think; that’s society’s law and must be obeyed.”
Patty’s pink cheeks took on an added flush and her blue eyes grew violet, as they did when she was very much in earnest.
“I know, Patty; I know, dear. Why, I’m as well acquainted with the conventions as you are. Do you suppose I want you to do anything not absolutely correct? But the Farringtons will come directly. They started later than we did, and the increasing depth of snow may make them longer on the road. But they’re sure to come.”
Phil’s air of conviction reassured Patty, and she turned to the great blazing fire again, with a sigh of contentment. There were two or three Club members about, but save for those and the liveried footmen here and there, the place was deserted.
Helen, thoroughly warm, jumped from her seat and went about looking at the various attractive rooms.
“A wonderful library!” she said, returning from her tour of investigation; “I could be happy there all day, just looking at the picture papers and books.”
“So could I,” said Patty, “if we had somebody with us. Why didn’t we bring Nan? That would have made everything all right!”
“Mona’s sure to come soon,” comforted Helen. “Let up, Patty, you make me tired with your fussing.”
Good-naturedly, Patty “let up” and said no more for the moment.
“Hello, people!” called a cheery voice, and a big figure in uniform came swinging in.