just tell the driver to take you to Mr. Fairfield’s house. He knows where it is. We call it ‘The Pebbles,’ but he may not know it by that name. But you’ll get there, somehow.”
“Oh, I’ll get there!” declared Roger, and, with laughing good-byes, the two girls drove away.
“Don’t you love your car, Patty?” asked Elise, as they went swiftly along.
“Yes, I do, Elise. I love it almost as I would a human being. I’ve never told any one this, because it seems sort of silly. But sometimes, when I’m out alone in it, I talk to it just as I would to a person, and she seems to understand. I’ve named her the Swift Camilla, and somehow Camilla seems to understand everything I say to her, and she almost talks back. Then, when I take other people with me, Camilla likes or dislikes them. If she dislikes them, she shows it by not running quite so smoothly. She jumps and balks and shies, for no reason at all, except petulance. Isn’t that so, Camilla?” and Patty patted the side of the car with a caressing gesture.
“Does she like me?” asked Elise, anxiously.
“Yes, indeed! Don’t you see she’s flying along like a bird! She knows you understand her, Elise, and you don’t think she’s merely an inanimate object.”
“Inanimate object! No, indeed! With her pulses thrilling and her sensitive nature alive to every passing incident, she’s far from inanimate!”
Patty looked at Elise in surprise. “Why, girlie,” she said, “I didn’t know you had so much imagination in your make-up.”
“I’ve always felt that way about motor cars, Patty. Our great big car is lumberly and fat, and a little bit stolid of disposition; but father has a little runabout that’s the nervousest thing you ever saw. But this Stanhope! Well, I’ve simply got to have one like it, that’s all! Father’ll give it to me in a minute, if I only could persuade mother to let me run it alone. But I’m ’most sure she never will.”
“This car of mine seems to sell others for the company,” said Patty, laughing. “There’s a girl down here, next door to me, who says she’s going to get one, too. And I know the boys will all fall in love with this little beauty!”
“Meaning the car or the girl next door?” asked Elise, smiling.
“Oh, the car! The girl next door isn’t a little beauty! Well, that is, I suppose she is good-looking in her own way, but——”
“But you don’t like her, isn’t that it?” and Elise smiled at her own intuition.
“No, I don’t like her,” declared Patty, honestly; “but I’m trying to. I’ll tell you all about it some other time, and, anyway, you’ll probably see her for yourself while you’re here. This is her home we’re passing now.”
“Gorgeous place,” said Elise, as she looked at the imposing “Red Chimneys.” “But I like this next place better. This big white house is lovely.”
“Good for you, Elise! This is ‘The Pebbles,’ and your own destination.”
Patty turned into the drive, and stopped at the broad steps of the front veranda. Nan was there to welcome them, and the two girls sprang out as Miller appeared to take the car away.
“Roger will be here soon!” exclaimed Patty, while Nan greeted Elise warmly. “He’s coming over in the stage, and he’ll bring the luggage. Come on, Elise, I’ll show you your room.”
The two girls went off, and Patty took Elise to one of the pretty guest rooms. They stayed there chatting until Elise’s trunk came, and then Patty declared she must run down and entertain Roger, while Elise unpacked her things.
She found the boy still on the front veranda talking to Nan, with whom he was a great favourite. Indeed, all Patty’s boy friends were favourites with Nan, and she was so charming and attractive herself that they all liked to chat with her.
Kenneth Harper she looked upon as her especial protégé, for he was alone in the city; and Mr. Hepworth, of course, was one of her old friends.
As for Philip Van Reypen, Nan had liked him from the first, and they had established a very chummy acquaintance. So, on the whole, the house party bade fair to be a great success, and Nan expected to enjoy its fun almost as much as Patty herself.
“You’re getting brown, Patty,” said Roger, looking admiringly at the tanned face.
“Yes, it’s outdoorsiness as does it! I swim and walk, and play tennis and go motoring all day long, and I sleep on a veranda at night.”
“So you get tanned by the moon as well as by the sun,” said Roger. “Well, it’s very becoming, and you look a whole lot healthier than you did in the city.”
“Yes, I am. Come on out and see my car, Roger, and I’ll give you a little spin, if you like. Elise is unpacking her finery and won’t miss us.”
Like every one else, Roger was enthusiastic in his praise of the wonderful car, and gladly accepted Patty’s invitation to go for a short ride. He complimented Patty on her skilful driving, and they went for some distance along the coast road.
“Let me drive back,” said Roger, as they turned homeward, and so they changed seats for the return trip.
“Beautiful car!” he repeated; “and perfect mechanism. Patty, I congratulate you on winning the thing, and it’s wonderful to think you did win it all yourself!”
“Oh, I had a lot of help, you know!”
“Well, it was your own enterprise, and you worked pretty hard yourself.”
“Yes, I did;” and Patty smiled at the recollection. “I sat up nights with those hundred questions, and lots of times I thought I should fail.”
“But still you persevered. That’s where you’re such a brick, Patty. If you set your heart on anything, you never give up.”
“Well, I’m glad I persevered this time, anyway, for this car is a perfect joy to me. I suppose father would have given me one, if I had asked for it, but somehow it never occurred to me that I wanted one. I had no idea I’d love it as I do.”
“Oh, they’re great things, and I’m jolly glad you’ve got this one. You’ll enjoy it more every day you own it. Now here we are at ‘The Pebbles.’ Do you want to turn in?”
“Yes; and I’m going to turn you out. Then I’m going to take the car and go back to the station to meet Christine. She’s coming down with Mr. Hepworth.”
“Let me go over with you, then I can give Christine my place, and I’ll tote old Hepworth over here.”
“All right; but I must see Elise before I go, and tell her where I’m going.”
To Patty’s surprise, Elise seemed a little annoyed to learn that she was going to the train for Christine. Patty had almost forgotten the foolish jealousy that Elise had of her own friendship with Christine. But, as always, she thought the best way to treat it was to ignore it; she simply repeated her statement. “Yes, Elise,” she said, “I’m going over to the station to bring Christine home with me. Mr. Hepworth
