want to see Mrs. Horliss-Cole for just a moment on very important business.”
The man noticed the shade of anxiety in her tone and glanced at her shoes and her gloves once more to reassure himself before he replied hesitatingly:
“Mrs. Horliss-Cole is very busy this morning. She was just going out and was called to the telephone ——!”
“Yes, I know,” broke in Patty breathlessly, “but I won't keep her a minute. I think perhaps she'll want to see me ——!”
The man hesitated, and looked her over once more far a fraction of a second, appraising her garments doubtfully:
“Not from the agency, are you? Beg pardon, ma'am but Miss Morris didn't send you, did she?”
Patty nodded engagingly:
"It’s about that,” she admitted eagerly.
“One moment, Miss,” he said, his dubious deference changing almost imperceptibly, “I’ll speak to Mrs. Horliss-Cole”
He departed and Patty found that suddenly she had all that she could do to control a violent trembling which had seized her whole body, and was absurdly manifest in her upper lip. Now, what should she say if she got a chance to speak to this grand lady?
CHAPTER IV
Somehow Patty's heart seemed all at once to have gone up in her throat, and a frightened mist was getting before her vision. Why had she come to this awful house anyway, and what should she do when that woman appeared – if she really did appear, which seemed doubtful? If she could only get out without passing that servant again! She cast a wild look toward the door, and measured the distance. Then she saw a maid cross the hall and look toward her appraisingly and disappear again. Presently the man-servant appeared and walked toward her more deferentially:
“Sit down, Miss. Madam will see you in a moment.” He drew a chair and Patty sank into it. Then she really had gained an audience! The sparkle came into her eyes once more. At least it was an interesting adventure. She must stop that trembling!
She gripped her hands together and tried to smile. Her singing teacher had once told her that that helped to control stage fright. Well, this surely was a good time to put it to a test. So she stared determinedly at an ugly jade idol on a pedestal and smiled her sweetest smile, albeit there was a bit of a tremble to it at the comers. Then she set her brains to work, just as she used to do in class when she knew a hard question was coming to her to answer; so that when the maid finally came back and summoned her into the august presence of the lady she was quite her reliant little self again and ready with what she had to say.
The lady must have been impressed with her presence, for she put by the phone to which she had been giving an annoyed attention when Patty entered, and looked at her surprisedly, a puzzled enquiry growing in her eyes. However, Patty gave her no time to voice her question. She came straight to the point:
“I have come to ask if there is any position in your household that I could fill? I belong to a good family who live at a distance from New York; I’ve had a good education, and circumstances have suddenly thrown me on my own resources. I am willing to do almost anything, and if I don't know how I can learn.”
She lifted her sunny eyes to the cold world-weary ones before her, and smiled a confiding bit of a smile that frankly put the whole matter in the lady's hands.
"Did you come from the Agency?" asked Mrs. Horliss-Cole. "I don't quite understand." Then to the telephone: “Yes, yes. Central, I'm waiting, of course."
“No, I didn't come from the Agency," answered Patty coolly. "I was passing as they called you in and heard the servant say that there had been an accident and some one had failed you. I don't understand what kind of a person it is that you need, and maybe I won't do, but I need to get something dreadfully right away, and I thought I'd try."
Mrs. Cole put up her lorgnette and eyed Patricia over thoroughly:
“How ex-troid'nry!" she said icily. "And haven't you any references?"
“References!" Patty's face grew suddenly blank with disappointment. “Of course! I forgot you would need them. No, I suppose I haven't any. You see, I've never supported myself before, and I didn't realize I would need them."
She grew thoughtful.
"Of course there are people here in New York I could get to say I was all right, but I don't think it would be wise. It might hurt my family very much if it was known that I was doing this. I guess then I will have to try and find something else ——" She sighed and turned toward the door just as a voice from the telephone receiver broke in: "No, Mrs. Horliss-Cole, I'm afraid I can't send you anybody before to-morrow. I've been talking with that woman and she says she couldn't arrange to leave New York on account of an invalid child that she has to get into a home first. I'm sorry ——!”
Patty had turned and was walking slowly into the hall when Mrs. Horliss-Cole snapped out: “Tell her to wait!” and went on talking on the telephone.
The maid rushed out and brought her back as Mrs. Cole hung up the receiver. As Patty returned she noticed for the first time another girl, about her own age, dressed in a dark, handsome, tailored suit and hat, with a big skin of brown fox thrown carelessly across her shoulders. She was sitting in the window-seat with the air of waiting to speak to her mother before going out, and her dark eyes fixed themselves on Patricia's face with a stare that was half-insolent in its open curiosity.
"How soon could you come if I decided to take you?” asked the lady in a fretful tone as if somehow it was Patty's fault that she could get nobody else.
“Why, right away," answered Patty, interest returning to her eyes.
“Have you any objection to traveling and being away from New York for several weeks perhaps?”
“Not at all.”
“Mother," put in the girl in the window impatiently, “why don't you phone to Zambri's? You know they always have somebody."
“Be still, Marjorie," said her mother. “Zambri was very impudent the last time I phoned him when I got that woman to help Hester, and besides I haven't any time this morning. What did you say your name was?" She turned back to Patricia.
Patricia hesitated.
“Would you mind very much if I didn't use my own name?" she asked with a troubled look. “I'm not ashamed of working, you know, but I would rather not have my family find out about it for a while. Could you call me by the name of Fisher, Edith Fisher? It was – my grandmother’s name.”
"It makes no difference to me what name you choose to go by, I suppose,” said the lady coldly. "You seem to have good manners, and if you have a good temper and a little common sense that's about all that’s necessary. I suppose I might as well try you. References don't amount to much nowadays anyway. People give references to servants just to get rid of them sometimes, although of course the Agency people usually find out about them, but if I decide to try you, how long will you likely stick to your job? Provided you prove satisfactory, of course?"
Patty wrinkled up
