Author: Carolyn Wells
Category: Humorous
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CHAPTER VI
PRINCESS POPPYCHEEK
On the night of the musicale at Marie Homer's, her talented cousinarrived long before any guests were expected.
"I couldn't wait, Aunt Frances," he said, as Mrs. Homer greeted him."I'm so impatient to see My Girl."
Kit had told the Homers of the telephone conversations, because he wasso anxious to find out his lady's name. Of course, he had not told allthey said, and from his incoherent ravings about a black-haired beautyMarie never guessed he could mean Patty.
"You're a foolish boy, Kit," said his Aunt.
"I don't believe that girl is any one we know, but is some mischievoushoyden who is leading you a dance. You won't see her to-night,--if youever do."
"Then I shall think up the easiest death possible, and die it,"declared Kit, cheerfully. "Why, you know, Aunt Frances, I never tookany interest in a girl before, except of course Marie and Bee, but thisgirl is so different from everybody else in the world. Her voice islike a chime of silver bells,--and her laugh----"
"There, there, Kit, I haven't time to listen to your rhapsodies! You'rehere altogether too early, and you'll have to excuse me, for I havesome household matters to look after. Marie isn't quite dressed yet, soyou'll have to amuse yourself for awhile. Play some sentimental musicon your violin, if that fits your mood."
With a kindly smile at her nephew, Mrs. Homer bustled away, and Kit wasleft alone in the music-room.
He played some soft, low music for a time, and then Marie came in.
"You're an old goose, Kit," she remarked, affectionately, "to thinkthat mysterious girl of yours will be here to-night. There isn'tanybody who knows me well enough to come without an invitation, that Ihaven't already invited. I've added to my list of invitations until itnow numbers about thirty, and that's all the really musical friends Ihave. If this girl of yours sings as well as you say, she's probably asoubrette or a chorus girl."
"Nothing of the sort!" Kit exclaimed. "She's the sweetest, daintiest,refinedest, culturedest little thing you ever saw!"
"How do you know? You haven't seen her."
"No, but I've talked with her. I guess I know." And Kit turneddecidedly sulky, for he began to think it WAS rather doubtful about hisseeing his girl that evening.
And then the guests began to arrive, and Mr. Kit put on a smiling faceand made himself agreeable to his cousin's friends.
Patty came among the latest arrivals. She looked her prettiest in afilmy gown of pale-blue chiffon, with touches of silver embroidery. Anornament in her hair was of silver filigree, with a wisp of pale-bluefeather, and her cheeks were a little pinker than usual.
Kit glanced at her as she came in, and, though he noticed that she wasan extremely pretty girl, he immediately glanced away again andcontinued his watch for the black-eyed girl he expected. The room waswell filled by this time, and Patty took a seat near the front, wheresat a group of her intimate friends. They greeted her gaily, and Kit,on the other side of the room, paid no attention to them.
The programme began with a duet by Kit on his violin, and his CousinMarie at the piano.
The man was really a virtuoso, and his beautiful playing held theaudience spellbound. Patty watched him, enthralled with his music, andadmiring, too, his generally worth-while appearance.
"He does look awfully jolly," she thought, to herself, "and it's plainto be seen he has brains. I wonder if he will be terribly disappointedin me, after all. I've a notion to run away."
For the first time in her life Patty felt shy about singing. Usuallyshe had no trace of self-consciousness, but to-night she experienced afeeling of embarrassment she had never known before. She realized this,and scolded herself roundly for it. "You idiot!" she observed,mentally, to her own soul; "if you want to make a good impression,you'd better stop feeling like a simpleton. Now brace up, and do thebest you can, and behave yourself!"
Miss Curtiss sang before Patty did. She was a sweet-faced young woman,with a beautiful and well-trained contralto voice. Patty cast a furtiveglance at Kit Cameron, and found that he was looking intently at thesinger. She knew perfectly well he was wondering whether this might bethe girl of the telephone conversations, and she saw, too, that hedecided in the negative, for he shook his head slightly, but withconviction.
Suddenly the humour of the whole situation struck Patty. The incidentwas not serious, but humorous, and as soon as she realised this hershyness disappeared, and the spirit of mischief once again tookpossession of her. She knew now she would do herself credit when shesang, and when her turn came she rose and walked slowly and gracefullyto the platform which had been temporarily placed for the musicians.
Marie was to play her accompaniment, and Patty had expected to singfirst a somewhat elaborate aria, using "Beware" as an encore.
But as she reached the platform, and as she noticed Kit Cameron's face,its expression politely interested, but in no wise enthusiastic, shesuddenly changed her mind. She put the music of "Beware" on the pianorack, and murmured to Marie, "This one first."
Marie looked puzzled, but of course she couldn't say anything as Pattystood waiting to begin.
For some reason Patty was always at her prettiest when she sang. Shethoroughly enjoyed singing, and she enjoyed the evident pleasure itgave to others. She stood gracefully, her hands lightly clasped beforeher, and the added excitement of this particular occasion gave a flushto her cheek and a sparkle to her blue eyes that made her positivelybewitching.
And then she sang the foolish little song, "Beware," just as she hadsung it over the telephone, coquettishly, but without artificiality orforced effect.
She scarcely dared look at Kit Cameron. A fleeting glance showed herthat he was probably at that moment the most nonplussed young man inexistence.
She looked away quickly, lest her voice should falter from amusement.
Luckily, all the audience were regarding Patty attentively, and had noeyes for the astonished face of Kit Cameron. He had taken no specialinterest in the blonde singer, but when her first notes, rang out hestarted in surprise. As the voice continued he knew at once it was thesame voice he had heard over the telephone, but he couldn't reconcilethe facts. He caught the fleeting glance she gave him, he saw theroguish smile in her eyes, and he was forced to believe that this girlwas his dark-eyed unknown.
"The little rascal!" he said, to himself. "The scamp! the rogue! Howshe has tricked me! To think she was Patty Fairfield all the time! Nowonder Marie didn't know whom I was talking about! Well!"
As the song finished no one applauded more enthusiastically than KitCameron.
But Patty would not look toward him, and proceeded to sing as an encorethe aria she had intended to sing first.
She was in her best voice, and she sang this beautifully, and, if theaudience was surprised at the unusual order of the selections, theywere unstinted in their applause.
Leaving the stage, instead of returning to her seat, Patty stepped backinto the next room, which was the library.
Cameron was there to receive her. He had felt sure she would not returnto the audience immediately, and he took the chance.
He held out both hands and Patty laid her hands in his.
"Captive Princess," he murmured.
"My Knight!" Patty whispered, and flashed a smile at him.
"Can you EVER forgive the things I said?" he asked, earnestly, as heled her across the room and they sat down on a divan.
"There's nothing to forgive," she said, smiling; "you detest blondes, Iknow, but I'm thinking seriously of dyeing my hair black."
"Don't! that would be a sacrilege! And you MUST remember that I toldyou I always adored blondes, until you told me you were brunette."
"But I didn't," said Patty, laughing. "Somehow you got the notion thatI was dark, and I didn't correct it. Are you TERRIBLY disappointed inme?"
Naughty Patty raised her heavenly blue eyes and looked so like a fair,sweet flower that Kit exclaimed:
"Disappointed! You are an angel, straight from h
eaven!"
"Nonsense! If you talk like that, I shall run away."
"Don't run away! I'll talk any way you like, but now that I have foundyou I shall keep you. But I am still in depths of self-abasement.Didn't I say most unkind things about Miss Fairfield?"
"No unkinder than I did. We both jumped on her, and said she was vainand horrid."
"_I_ never said such dreadful things! I'm sure I didn't. But, if I did,I shall spend the rest of my life making up for it. And I called youPoppycheek!"
Cameron looked at Patty's cheeks in such utter dismay that she laughedoutright.
"But you know," she said, "there are pink poppies as well as scarlet.Incidentally there are white and there are saffron yellow."
"So there are," said Cameron, delightedly. "How you DO help a fellowout! Well, yours are just the colour of a soft, dainty pink poppy thatis touched by the sunlight and kissed by a summer breeze."
"I knew you were a poet," said Patty, smiling, "but I don't allow evena summer breeze to kiss my cheeks."
"I should hope not! A summer breeze is altogether too promiscuous withits kisses. I hope you don't allow any kisses, except those of your ownparticular swansdown powder puff."
"Of course I don't!" laughed Patty, and then she blushed furiously asshe suddenly remembered how Farnsworth had kissed both her cheeks thenight of Christine's wedding.
"I see you're blushing at a memory," said Cameron, coolly; "I supposethe powder puff was too audacious."
"Yes, that's it," said Patty, her liking for this young man increasedby the pleasantry of his light banter. "And now we must return to themusic-room. I came here a moment to catch my breath after singing; buthow did you happen to be here?"
"I knew you'd come here; ostensibly, of course, to catch your breath,but really because you knew I'd be here."
"You wretch!" cried Patty. "How dare you say such things! I neverdreamed you'd be here; if I had, I shouldn't have come."
"Of course you wouldn't, you little coquette! It's your nature to beperverse and capricious. But your sweet good-humour won't let you carrythose other traits too far. Oh, I know you, My Girl!"
"I object to that phrase from you," Patty said, coldly, "and I must askyou not to use it again."
"But you ARE my girl, by right of discovery. By the way, you're notanybody else's girl, are you?"
"Just what do you mean by that?"
"Well, in other words, then, are you engaged, betrothed, plighted,promised, bespoke----"
Patty burst out laughing. "I'm not any of those things," she said,"but, if ever I am, I shall be bespoke. I think that's the loveliestword! Fancy being anybody's Bespoke!"
"Of course, it's up to me to give you an immediate opportunity," saidCameron, sighing. "But somehow I don't quite dare bespeak you on suchshort acquaintance."
"Faint heart----"
"Oh, it isn't that! I'm brave enough. But I'm an awfully punctiliousman. If I were going to bespeak you, now, I should think it my duty togo first to your father and correctly ask his permission to pay myaddresses to his daughter."
"Good gracious! How do you pay addresses? I never had an address paidto me in my life."
"Shall I show you how?" And Cameron jumped up and fell on one kneebefore Patty, with a comical expression of a make-believe love-sickswain.
Patty dearly loved fooling, and she smiled back at him roguishly, andjust at that moment Philip Van Reypen came into the room.
In the dim half-light he descried Patty on the divan and Cameronkneeling before her, and, as Mr. Van Reypen was blessed with a quicktemper, he felt a sudden desire to choke the talented Mr. Cameron.
"Patty!" Philip exclaimed, angrily.
"Yes, Philip," said Patty, in a voice of sweet humility.
"Come with me," was the stern command.
"Yes, Philip," and Patty arose and walked away with Van Reypen, leavingKit Cameron still on his knee.
"Well, I'll be hammered!" that gentleman remarked, as he rose slowlyand deliberately dusted off his knee with his handkerchief; "that girlis a wonder! She's full of the dickens, but she's as sweet as a peach.I always did like blondes best, whether she believes it or not. But ifI hadn't, I should now. There's only one girl in the world for me. Iwonder if she is mixed up with that Van Reypen chap. He had a mostproprietary manner, but all the same, that little witch is quitecapable of scooting off like that, just to tease me. Oh, I'll play herown game and meet her on her own ground. Little Poppycheek!" With anonchalant air, Mr. Cameron sauntered back to the music-room, andseated himself beside Miss Curtiss, with whom he struck up an animatedconversation, not so much as glancing at Patty.
Patty observed this from the corner of her eye, and she nodded her headin approval.
"He's worth knowing," she thought; "I'll have a lot of fun with him."
The programme was almost over, but Kit was to play once again. WithMarie, he played a fine selection, and then, as he was tumultuouslyencored, he went back to the platform alone. Without accompaniment heplayed the little song, "Beware," that Patty had sung, and,improvising, he made a fantasia of the air. He was clever as well asskilled, and he turned the simple little melody into thrilling,rollicking music with trills and roulades until the original theme wasalmost lost sight of, only to crop up again with new intensity.
Patty listened, enthralled. She loved this sort of thing, and she knewhe was playing to her and for her. The strains would be now softlyromantic, now grandly triumphant, but ever recurring to the mainmotive, until one seemed fairly to see the fickle maiden of the song.
When it was ended, the room rang with applause. Cameron bowed simply,and laying aside his violin, went straight to Patty and sat down byher, coolly appropriating the chair which his cousin Marie had justleft.
"I made that for you," he said, simply. "Did you like it?"
"Like it!" exclaimed Patty, her blue eyes dancing; "I revelled in it!It was wonderful! Was it really impromptu?"
"Of course. It was nothing. Any one can play variations on an old song."
"Variations nothing!" remarked Patty. "It was a work,--a chefd'oeuvre,--an opus!"
"Yes; Opus One of my new cycle." "What are you two talking about?" saidMarie, returning. "Have you found your girl, Kit? What do you think,Patty?--Kit's crazy over a black-eyed girl whom he doesn't know!"
"Is he?" said Patty, dropping her eyes demurely.
"I found My Girl, Marie," Cameron announced, calmly; "I find I made atrifling mistake about her colouring, but that's a mere detail. As itturns out, the lady of my quest is Miss Fairfield."
"Good gracious, are you, Patty?" said Marie, impetuously; "are youKit's girl?"
"Yes; I am," and Patty folded her hands with a ridiculous air ofcomplacency.
"Patty!" growled Van Reypen, who was sitting behind her.
"Yes, Philip," said Patty, sweetly, turning partly round.
"Behave yourself!"
"I am behaving, Philip," and Patty looked very meek.
"Of course you are," said Marie; "you're behaving beautifully. And youlook like an angel, and you sang like a lark, and if you're Kit's Girl,I'm glad of it. Now come on, everybody's going to supper."
"You come along with me," said Philip Van Reypen, as he took Patty bythe arm.
"Why?" And Patty looked a little defiant at this command.
"Because I want you to. And I want you to stop making up to thatCameron man."
"I'm not, Philip; he's making up to me."
"Well, he'd better stop it! What was he doing on his knees before youin the library?"
"I don't remember," said Patty, innocently. "Oh, yes, he was telling memy cheeks were red, or some foolishness like that."
"And your eyes were blue, I suppose, and your hair was yellow! Didn'tyou know all those things before?"
"Why, Philip, how cross you are! Yes, I've known those things fornineteen years. It's no surprise to me."
"Patty, I'd like to shake you! Do you know what you are? You're just alittle, vain, silly, babbling coquette!"
"Don't babble at all. Here's a chair. You sit right down here, and eatyour supper. Here's another chair. You lay your shawl and bonnet onthat, to keep it for me, and I'll go and forage for some food."
Patty laid her scarf and fan on the chair to reserve it for Philip, butshe was not unduly surprised when Mr. Cameron came along, picked up herbelongings, and seated himself in the chair.
"That's Mr. Van Reypen's chair," said Patty; "if he finds you there,he'll gently but firmly kill you."
"I know it," said Kit, placidly; "but a Knight is always willing tobrave death for his Lady."
"But I don't want you killed," said Patty, looking sad, "I wouldn'thave anybody to telephone to."
"If I run away then, to save my life, will you telephone me to-night?"
"Indeed I won't! that's all over. But please, Mr. Cameron, run away,for here comes Philip, with both hands full of soup, and I know hewouldn't hesitate to scald you with it."
Mr. Cameron arose, as Mr. Van Reypen came in, and with an air ofwillingly relinquishing his seat to Philip, he said, "My Girl's Orders."
Philip didn't hear it, but Patty did, and she blushed, for Cameron'sdeparture that way showed greater deference to her wishes than if hehad stayed with her.
"What did he say?" Philip asked, as he offered Patty a cup of bouillon,and then sat down beside her.
"He said you were such a sweet-tempered man, he didn't wonder I likedyou," and Patty beamed pleasantly.
"I would be sweet-tempered, Patty, if you didn't tease the very lifeout of me!"
"Now, Philip, you wouldn't be much good if you couldn't stand a littleteasing."
"Go ahead, then; tease me all you like," and Van Reypen looked thepersonification of dogged endurance.
"I will!" said Patty, emphatically, and then some others joined them,and the group began to laugh and talk together.
"Your cousin is stunning, Marie," said Mona Galbraith; "why have wenever met him before?"
"He's a freak," Marie said, laughingly. "I couldn't persuade him tocome to my valentine party, and to-night I couldn't keep him away! Allmusicians are freaks, you know."
"He's a musician, all right," said Kenneth Harper. "The things he didto that simple little song must have made some of the eminent composersturn in their graves!"
"He's awfully clever at that sort of thing," said Marie; "sometimeswhen we're here alone, he'll take a simple little air and improvise themost beautiful melodies from it."
"Is he amiable?" asked Mona, casually.
"Not very; or rather, not always. But he's a dear fellow, and we're allfond of him. How did you like him, Patty?"
"I thought he was lovely," said Patty, and Van Reypen glared at her.