Читать книгу Greycliff Heroines - Harriet Pyne Grove - Страница 5

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Lilian and Betty were as much impressed as Hilary had been, upon her first visit, with the beauty and quiet elegance of Cathalina’s home. Betty shared Cathalina’s room with its blue, silver and white fittings, while Hilary and Lilian occupied the rose room, which had been Hilary’s upon that memorable Christmas time. “I thought it would be more fun for us to be close together,” Cathalina said, “but if any of you would like to be alone, it can just as well be arranged.”

“Who would want to be alone?” replied Lilian. “This is delightful.”

The baggage had come through safely, and the girls found their prettiest frocks all pressed and hanging in the closets. Cathalina’s maid was a different one from the girl Hilary remembered, and Cathalina laughed as she explained what Phil called her “alliterative succession” of maids, Etta, Edna, Ethel and now Edith, “my ‘French’ maids,” said Cathalina. “The last ones did not stay long. Mother did not think they were good, but Edith is fine. She is English.”

Hilary and Lilian found another maid appointed to answer their bell, and confided to each other that they hoped not to make any mistakes in their own deportment regarding her. “Oh, it does not make any real difference,” said Hilary. “If we are simple and nice, as we ought to be, I guess we shall not make any very bad mistakes. I think, Lil, that you might as well get used to one!”

Lilian blushed, for Hilary’s meaning was not hard to understand, and the state of Philip’s feeling toward Lilian had been quite apparent on their automobile trip. However, within the next twenty-four hours Lilian’s ideas were to change somewhat.

Cathalina and Philip were as busy as could be in those first hours after their arrival, making arrangements for different sorts of good times.

“You will excuse me, won’t you, girls, while I call up the family and get things started. I want some of them to come over tonight and I must find out who of the friends are in town.” Cathalina, fresh from her bath, her soft brown hair prettily arranged by her maid, a cool, light summer dress floating about her, was an attractive picture as she sat by the little table to telephone.

“Is that you, Ann Maria? Good! I thought you girls would be back in time for us to see you. Did you have a great time? Yes, we had a wonderful summer at camp—more fun! Yes, we just came in an hour or so ago. How are Uncle and Aunt Knickerbocker? Oh, is that so? Well, why can’t you stay all night here, then—you and Louise? We want you all to come after dinner tonight, to meet the girls. I’m going to call up Louise and Nan and Emily. Robert Paget will get in before dinner, Phil thinks. I’m calling Rosalie and Lawrence Haverhill, too. Anybody else that you can think of? Somebody we could ask on short notice. Oh, yes. I’ll get Phil to call him. We’ll have light refreshments. Come early.”

Cathalina danced away and over to Philip’s room, where she knocked.

“That you, Kitsie? All right, come in. That’s all, Louis. There are the letters to be mailed.”

Philip was as freshly attired as Cathalina and making great plans for happy hours with Lilian. “Be seated, Miss Van Buskirk!”

“No, thanks, Phil—I just had a little matter to speak to you about. If Mother thinks it’s all right, would you mind calling up a young man I met at school last year—if he’s in town—and can come—”

“Lots of ‘ifs’ in the way, it seems,” said Philip, his eyes sparkling. Why should Philip worry about anything? Was not the sweetest girl in the world in the same house with him?

“Yes, Philly, that’s so. I’m not sure it’s proper to be so informal with him, but Mother will know about that. It’s the Captain Van Horne that was nice to me at school last year, you know. We exchanged addresses and he asked me if he could call, or I invited him to call, I don’t remember which. He is an instructor in the military school.”

“I remember about him. Of course it’s proper for me to ask him to come around, and if he can’t come tonight, shall I ask him for the other party, or to call to see us?”

“Yes, please. You’re a good brother.”

“By the way, Cathalina, after the telephoning could you manage to let me have Lilian to myself a while—out on the veranda or somewhere? I’ll find the place, if I can get the girl!”

“Yes, Philly, indeed I will. You’ve hardly had a good visit with Lilian since we started from Boston.” Cathalina gave Philip a roguish glance as she whirled out of the room. Phil mischievously winked, put his hand over his heart and said, “I now call up the Van Horne at his ancestral abode, but I was saving you for Bob Paget.”

“Oh, let Betty have him,” Cathalina called as she disappeared down the hall in the direction of the girls’ room. “Boys always like Betty.”

“What is that, Cathalina?” asked Betty. “Seems to me I heard my name.”

“You did. I was just making the wise remark to Philip that boys always like you.”

“How horrid! That doesn’t sound like you, Cathalina.”

“You don’t know the circumstances. We were planning who was for whom at our party and I mentioned you for a certain young man and made that remark. You are always lovely and pretty and the boys do like you.”

The girls had been having a confab in the rose room in Cathalina’s absence. Lilian was looking in the mirror to see if the maid’s hair dressing had been effective. “Oh, Cathalina,” said she, “please tell me about some of your relatives that will be here. Remember that we haven’t been here before, like Hilary.”

“You’ll not have such a time as poor Hilary had,” said Cathalina with a laugh. “She had to meet the whole clan, aunts, uncles and cousins, at our regular Christmas gathering, and had a great time to straighten us all out. Campbell insisted on giving her the whole family history.”

“Probably that was just as well,” said Betty, with meaning.

“Tonight,” continued Cathalina, “there’ll just be the young folks. Campbell will bring his sisters over, or at least Emily. Sara is younger. Emily is about a year older than Campbell. Then Louise Van Ness, who is about Phil’s age, and Nan Van Ness, who is my age, will be here. Rosalie Haverhill is an old friend of mine, and her brother Lawrence, who has been attending the same school as Phil, has been one of his best friends. Oh, yes, Ann Maria Van Ness is the niece of Uncle and Aunt Knickerbocker, who lives with them. She and Louise have been great chums, and in the same set of young folks with Phil and Lawrence. Robert Paget is Phil’s friend, you know, who is coming today. Phil had a telegram from him not long ago. He’s going to the station in the car pretty soon to meet him. He and Phil and Campbell and Lawrence are all in the same fraternity. Ann Maria suggested another friend of hers and Philip’s, but he had another engagement. This will be a very informal affair indeed, gotten up on the spur of the moment, as it were. There’ll not be enough boys to go around, of course, but we can all have a jolly talk, and I’m going to have a real party before you leave.”

By this time the girls were on their way downstairs. Philip was in the hall with some fresh roses just picked, which he proceeded to give to the girls, saving Lilian’s till the last. He was so evidently waiting for her that the other girls kept on, out upon the wide porch with its fine columns, while Philip drew Lilian into the library, and put the rose in her hair. “I want to show you the gem of our whole place,” said he; “Dad’s library.” Many, many times in days to come was Lilian to remember that cool, beautiful room, the quiet talk with Philip, the rose in her hair and the look in Philip’s eyes.

They walked around looking at the books, then sat down on the window-seat to talk, more about the music, of which they were both so fond, than of the books.

“Your voice, Lilian, is wonderful. It has a quality in it that holds your audience. You’ve felt it yourself, I suppose.”

“I love it when I can hold them,” replied Lilian, “but I’m usually not thinking about them, only of what I’m singing.”

“You ought to be studying with some big New York teacher. We have better teaching right here in America than they have in Europe, and have had for years, so my professor at school said.”

“Oh, wouldn’t I love to study here!”

“Are you going back to Greycliff after this year?”

“I can’t tell. We all love Greycliff so, but Hilary thinks that her people may plan for her to go somewhere else, and if our ‘quartette’ is broken up we may not be so crazy about staying. We are going to have this year together, anyhow.”

“Campbell and I get through college this year. You remember what I said about the war—when we were in the pine grove at camp?”

“Yes, indeed,” said Lilian soberly.

“Well, we have promised the folks to finish this year at college, if possible, or at least not to go without their consent if we do get into the war. And you will write all year to me, won’t you, as you promised?”

“Oh, yes.”

“There is such a lot of us that I thought I’d better make sure to remind you. And, Lilian, did you mind what I said about——”

But Lilian did not hear the rest of this remark, for at this point Mrs. Van Buskirk entered the library and smilingly informed Philip that he would scarcely have time to reach the station before Robert Paget’s train arrived. Philip looked at his watch.

“You’re right, Mother! Excuse me, Lilian. I’m trying to persuade Lilian that she ought to have her voice cultivated right here in New York,” and Philip dashed off.

While Lilian and Mrs. Van Buskirk were chatting, Cathalina came in.

“I’ve been seeing to the refreshments for tonight, Mother. I believe you will have to plan for the real party with the housekeeper.”

“Very well. You want something more elaborate, I suppose.”

“Oh, yes; just as elaborate as I can have it.”

“Will it be very formal?” asked Lilian, who was thinking of her somewhat limited wardrobe. The girls had not taken much to camp except the regular camp attire.

“Oh, no. The boys would hate it. It is too hot for dress suits. They can wear their white flannels or palm beach suits or anything they like. I’ll have Phil call up all the boys and tell them ‘informal.’ There isn’t time to send written invitations ‘with propriety,’ as Aunt Katherine says, and it will not be such a big party. But I want to have everybody that we are indebted to, if they are in town.”

“What will the girls wear?”

“Their thin silks or lace and net, or sheer cotton stuffs. Your pink organdy will be just the thing, or that little silk that you sing in.”

“I guess I’d better wear the organdy tonight and the silk frock at the party. How would that do, Mrs. Van Buskirk?”

“Nicely, my dear. Anything that you have at school is quite suitable for all our occasions.”

“How comfortable and dear your mother is, Cathalina,” said Lilian after Mrs. Van Buskirk had left the room.

“Yes, isn’t she? And you ought to hear the things she says about you. I believe she likes you even better than Betty and Hilary, but I oughtn’t to say that. Her heart is big enough for our whole quartette. Come on, let’s get the other girls and see what flowers we can find for the rooms.”

“Imagine your having such lovely roses at this time in the year. How do you manage it?”

“They have special care, and some of them are from our little hothouse.”

The four girls were still outdoors when Philip returned with Robert Paget, and turned to look, as “Pat,” back from Boston, took out two bags and a suitcase, and three young men stepped out of the car.

“Three,” said Cathalina in surprise. “I wonder who the other one is. That is Robert in the light grey suit.”

“Why, that looks like Dick!” exclaimed Lilian. “It is Dick! How in the world did Dick——” Lilian started toward the house; then, recollecting that Dick was not the only young man there, drew back. The three young men did not see the girls and went up the steps and into the house.

“Let’s go in and fix the flowers,” said Cathalina, “and by that time the boys will be downstairs, I think, and Mother will know about it at least.”

Mrs. Van Buskirk met the girls in the hall. “Why, Lilian,” said she, “we have a great surprise for you.”

“I saw him,” replied Lilian. “How did it happen?”

“He came to New York on business again, Phil said; did not know that you were here, and he and Robert Paget were on the same train. Phil saw him get off just in front of Robert and, as he said, ‘nabbed him.’”

“He and your father were here while we were in camp, weren’t they?” said Betty, recalling some news of Lilian’s.

“Yes; for years one of Father’s old friends has been wanting to get him into a law firm here in New York, and now that Dick is starting Father is more interested, though he can’t bring himself to leave the old town.” So Lilian explained to Mrs. Van Buskirk and the girls. “He always laughs and says ‘Better be a big toad in a small puddle than a little toad in a big puddle.’”

“I believe your father would be a ‘big toad’ anywhere,” said Mrs. Van Buskirk. “We enjoyed him so much that time he and Richard were out for dinner with us.”

“Oh, wouldn’t it be lovely if your people would move to New York!” exclaimed Cathalina. “Why haven’t you said something about it before?”

“I never thought of it, because Father never gave us any reason to think he would do it. And it didn’t occur to me till now that it might be the reason for this summer’s visits. But I feel sure—almost—that it must be now that Dick is here again. Perhaps he will come if Father does not.”

“That makes another young man for tonight!” and Cathalina waved a hand full of flowers. “Is Dick engaged? Will he be bored at company?”

“No, to both your questions. Dick likes a good time as well as anybody. Oh, there he is!”

“Go on down and meet your sister,” said Philip from the landing, and Robert Paget, who was in the lead, stopped to let Richard North pass. Dick embraced his sister, and turned to greet Mrs. Van Buskirk. As by this time the others had reached the foot of the stairs, general introductions followed.