CHAPTER VIII
AN ABSENT-MINDED COUSIN
"Now, Patty," said Cousin Tom, as they walked along the saloon, "I am goingto hand you over to the stewardess, who will show you your stateroom. Gowith her, and she will look after you. I think you would better leave offthat heavy coat, as it is too chilly outside to permit of going on deck,and the atmosphere within is quite warm. Ah, here she is. Stewardess, thisis Miss Fairfield and here is her stateroom key. See to it that she is madecomfortable."
As Mr. Fleming supplemented his request with a pecuniary argument, thestewardess made Patty her especial charge, and assiduously looked after hercomfort.
"And, Patty," said her cousin, as she turned away, "when you are ready,come back and you will find me right here. See, just by this staircase.Lock your door and bring the key with you."
Patty felt as if she had suddenly grown several years younger, for CousinTom talked to her as to a little child. "It's more like Wonderland thanever," she said to herself. "Only instead of growing big or little, I growold or young. At Aunt Isabel's I was considered a young lady but Cousin Tomseems to think I'm a small child."
The stewardess, who was a good-natured old colored woman, took Patty to herstateroom, and then helped her to unpack her traveling-bag, and arrange herbelongings for the night.
As Aunt Isabel had bought her clothes, of course Patty was absurdlyoverdressed.
When she took off her blue velvet coat with its ermine collar, her bluesilk, lace-trimmed dress looked far more suitable for a grand receptionthan for traveling.
"Laws, missy," said the voluble stewardess, "how handsome you is!"
Patty thought this a reference to her dress, but the remark was meant forthe child herself, whose flower-like face looked out from a most becomingbig hat of plaited blue velvet, and her golden hair fell in a loosely tiedbunch of long thick curls.
When Patty returned to her Cousin Tom, she found him sitting just where hesaid he would be, but so deeply absorbed in a book that he didn't see orhear her approach.
Not wishing to disturb his reading, she sat down in the large chair next tohim and waited.
She didn't mind this at all, for it was very interesting to watch thepeople passing up and down, and the saloon itself was beautiful to look at.Patty sat for a long while, but Cousin Tom never moved, except to turn thepages of his book. She did not like to speak to him, as she feared he wouldthink it necessary to lay aside his book and entertain her; she had no wishto trouble him, and beside, she was quite capable of entertaining herself.
So after she had sat still for a long while, she decided to walk about thecabin a bit, always keeping in sight of Cousin Tom, if he should raise hiseyes. But he didn't, and Patty strayed farther and farther away from him,until she had explored all the available parts of the boat.
She was much interested in all she saw, and many admiring eyes followed thepretty, graceful child as she walked about.
When she reached the dining-room she looked in, and the sight of thepassengers sitting at well-filled tables made her feel very hungry, and shewondered if Cousin Tom would finish his book in time to give her anydinner. Somehow she felt sure he never would look up until he _had_finished the book.
She went back and sat down again beside him with a little sigh. But hedidn't hear the little sigh, and kept on reading.
Patty looked at him curiously. There was little hope of his finishing thebook, for he was only about half-way through it, and he read very slowly,turning the pages at long intervals. She could see his eyes move eagerlyalong the printed lines, as if delighted with what he found there.
She waited a while longer, and then said to herself, "I don't care, I'mgoing to speak to him. I've waited a million hours, and the dinner will beall eaten up."
She didn't speak, but she rose and stood by his side, and then with asudden impulse she laid her hand with outspread fingers upon the page hewas reading.
Cousin Tom jumped as if a firecracker had exploded in his vicinity, and helooked at Patty with a dazed expression.
"Bless my soul!" he said, "why, little one, I forgot all about you. Willyou forgive me? Have you been here long? I was reading, you see, and Ididn't hear you come."
"I've been here an hour, Cousin Tom," said Patty, demurely.
"An hour? No! Is it possible? You poor child, why didn't you tell me?"
"Oh, I didn't mind," said Patty, "and you seemed to be all wrapped up inyour book."
"Yes, I was,--I was. But I'll try to make amends. Come, let's go and havesome dinner."
Taking Patty's hand, Cousin Tom strode along the saloon, and down thestairs, and Patty almost had to run to keep up with his long steps.
"Now," said he, as they seated themselves at a table and an obsequiouswaiter began to put ice and then water into their glasses. "Now, what wouldyou like to eat?"
"Oh, anything at all," said Patty, gaily, "I'm hungry enough to eat,--Idon't know what."
"Yes, yes, of course you are,--poor child,--so sorry I forgot you,--quiteinexcusable of me."
Mr. Fleming was looking over the bill of fare as he talked, and then helooked doubtfully at Patty, as if uncertain what he ought to order for her.
"What would you like for your dinner, child? Now don't say you don't care,or that you'll leave it to me, for little girls always say that, and Ideclare I don't know what you ought to have."
"All right," said Patty, who was quite equal to the occasion. "Let's havesome lobster mayonnaise, and some mushrooms under glass, and little tinyclams, and tutti-frutti and a Dewey Punch."
Cousin Tom stared at her in amazement.
"What are you talking about?" he exclaimed; "you'd be dead if you ate allthose things. Are they on the bill of fare? What is a 'Dewey Punch'?"
"Oh, I don't die so easily as that. Ethelyn and I used to eat worse mixesthan that, whenever we lunched at the New York restaurants, A Dewey Punchis a lovely kind of ice cream with strawberry jam or something poured allover it. I don't see it on the list; perhaps they don't have it. Nevermind, we'll take meringue glace."
"Indeed we won't. I've changed my mind and I'll order this dinner myself.You shall have some soup, a broiled chicken, some vegetables and a plainice cream. There, how do you like that?"
Cousin Tom didn't speak crossly at all, but very decidedly, and there was apleasant twinkle in his eye that took away all idea of censure, so Pattysaid, amiably:
"I think it will be very nice and I really don't care what we have, onlyyou told me to suggest something, so I did."
"Certainly, that's all right, but your suggestions were suicidal. Are youfamiliar with Bacon?"
Oh, thought Patty, he's going to order the breakfast over night, and I hatebacon.
"Yes," she said, "but I don't like it at all."
"You don't? What a perverted taste. But Boston will soon change that. Wehave a Bacon club, which you shall join. It is a most delightful club, andyou will like it, I'm sure. I fancy that in a few weeks I shall see youdevouring Bacon with intense enjoyment."
Indeed I won't, thought Patty. She was about to say that her Uncle Robertbelonged to a Terrapin Club, but refrained, thinking it might be impoliteto imply disparagement to the more lowly bacon.
So she changed the subject, and said:
"Please, Cousin Tom, tell me something of your family. It's so queer to goto see people and not know anything about them beforehand. But so far, myrelatives have been very nice."
"Oh, the Flemings are a wonderful family," said Cousin Tom, gaily, "we areall going to do something great, but somehow we haven't hit it off yet."
"Cousin Elizabeth is an author, isn't she?" inquired Patty, a littletimidly, for she had never seen a real, live author.
"Yes," said Mr. Fleming, "Elizabeth is an author, that is, she writesnovels when she isn't doing anything else; Barbara is a club woman, but shewrites too, more or less."
"And what do you do? Are you literary?"
"Yes, I'm writing a book, myself. It's a treatise on The Will, and Iflat
ter myself I have some novel theories; and then there's Ruth, youknow."
"Ruth, who is she?"
"Oh, she's our cousin, who lives with us. Not your cousin, you know. She isfather's brother's child, and her people live in the country; so, as shehas a fine mind, she lives with us in order to have the advantage of aBoston education."
"How old is she?" asked Patty.
"Fourteen or fifteen, I think. She'll be company for you; I think you'lllike her, though she is very different from you."
"What is she like?" asked Patty, much interested in this new and unexpectedcomrade.
"Why, she is quiet, and very studious, and--but you'll see her yourself,to-morrow, so I'll let you form your own opinion."
After dinner they had a short promenade on deck, but the wind was sostrong, that Patty was glad to return to the warm, light saloon, and theysat down on one of the red velvet sofas. Cousin Tom didn't resume his book,and Patty felt that he was politely trying to entertain her.
So with a desire to entertain him in return, she asked him to tell herabout the book he was writing.
This seemed to please him immensely, and he eagerly launched into adescription of its scope and plan.
As the subject was far above Patty's comprehension, she listened withoutunderstanding it clearly at all, and after a half hour or so, thecontinuous conversation, and the soothing motion of the boat caused thelittle girl quite unintentionally to fall sound asleep.
Mr. Fleming kept on talking for some time after this, when suddenly itoccurred to him that his cousin sat very still, and peering round thecorner of the big blue velvet hat, he discovered that his audience wasquite oblivious to his learned discourse.
At first he looked a little annoyed, then he smiled compassionately, forthe tired child seemed to be very peacefully resting, and her pretty headmade a lovely picture against the red velvet sofa.
Mr. Fleming sent for the stewardess, and then awoke the little sleeper.
"Come, Patty," said he, gently tapping her on the shoulder, "it's bedtime,little girl, and you must run away to your bunk."
Patty opened her eyes and stared about her.
"Oh, Cousin Tom," she said, as she remembered the circumstances under whichshe had fallen asleep, "I'm _so_ sorry,--I didn't mean to go to sleep, andI _was_ interested."
"That's all right, my small cousin," said Mr. Fleming, "and now go alongwith the stewardess, and go to sleep and get a good night's rest." Pattydid as Cousin Tom directed, and never wakened until she heard the steamerscraping against the dock early the next morning.
She rose and dressed quickly, and when the stewardess came for her, she wasquite ready to go to meet Cousin Tom, who awaited her in the cabin.
"I shall give you a roll and a cup of coffee," he said, as if half afraidthat Patty would want to order unheard-of dishes, "for they are expectingus home to breakfast, and we have only fifteen minutes before our trainstarts for Boston."
Patty drank her coffee and ate her roll with a relish, and declared herselfready to start. A short ride in the cars brought them to Boston. They leftthe train and entered the waiting-room, where Cousin Tom placed Patty in aseat, and told her to stay there and not move while he attended to hertrunks.
Patty obediently sat still, and soon she saw Cousin Tom returning. But justbefore he reached her, he met a man whom he evidently knew, and whom heseemed overjoyed to meet. The two men talked earnestly together, and thenboth turned and walked away.
Patty had seen instances of her cousin's absent-mindedness, even since hehad neglected to take her to dinner the night before, and she guessed atonce that he had forgotten her existence, and was going away with hisfriend.
She had no intention of being deserted in this way, so she left the bagsand wraps which she was supposed to be guarding, and ran after him.
"Cousin Tom!" she cried as she caught up with him, "where are you going?"
"Bless my soul!" he exclaimed, staring at her, "I forgot you were with me.What shall I do? Allow me to present Mr. Harding. Ted, this is my cousin,Miss Patty Fairfield; I am supposed to be escorting her home, but if whatyou tell me is so, I must go at once to see Varian. Wait, I have it, Patty;I'll send you home by a messenger; you don't mind, do you?"
"No, indeed, Cousin Tom," said Patty; "send me any way you like."
So Mr. Fleming called a messenger-boy, and giving Patty, and all the wrapsand bags into his charge, he sent them to his mother's house. "Tell them Imet Harding, and had to go away with him on some very important business,"he said to Patty. "I'll be home to-night,--good-bye."
And with a hasty hand-shake, he turned again to his friend and they walkedrapidly away.
"Come this way, miss," said the messenger, who was a tall youth, polite anddeferential, and who appeared not at all surprised at the order given him."I'll take you along all right."
He piloted Patty with great care and after riding for some distance on thestreet cars, they arrived at Mrs. Fleming's house.
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