Toward the end of August the Barlows' visit drew toward its close.

Although Patty was sorry to have her cousins go, yet she looked forward with a certain sense of relief to being once more alone with her father.

"It's lovely to have company," she confided to her Aunt Alice one day, "and I do enjoy it ever so much, only somehow I get tired of ordering and looking after things day after day."

"All housekeepers have that experience, Patty, dear," said Aunt Alice, "but they're usually older than you before they begin. It is a great deal of care for a girl of sixteen, and though you get along beautifully, I'm sure it has been rather a hard summer for you."

So impressed was Mrs. Elliott with these facts that she talked to Mr.

Fairfield about the matter, and advised him to take Patty away somewhere for a little rest and change before beginning her school year again.

Mr. Fairfield agreed heartily to this plan, expressed himself as willing to take Patty anywhere, and suggested that some of the Elliotts go, too.

When Patty's opinion was asked, she said she would be delighted to go away for a vacation, and that she had the place all picked out.

"Well, you are an expeditious young woman," said her father. "And where is it that you want to go?"

"Why, you see, papa, the 1st of September, when Bob and b.u.mble go home from here, Nan isn't going back with them; she's going down to Spring Lake. That's a place down on the New Jersey coast, and I've never been there, and she says it's lovely, and so I want to go there."

"Well, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't," said Mr. Fairfield. "It would suit me well enough, if Nan is willing we should follow in her footsteps."

"I'm delighted to have you," said Nan, who was in a hammock at the other end of the veranda when this conclave was taking place.

"I wish we could go with the crowd," said Bob, who was perched on the veranda railing.

"I wish so, too," said b.u.mble; "but wishing doesn't do any good. After that letter father wrote yesterday, I think the best thing for us to do is to scurry home as fast as we can."

So the plans were made according to Patty's wish, and a few days after the Barlow twins returned to their home, a merry party left Vernondale for Spring Lake.

This party consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Elliott and Marian, Mr. Fairfield, Patty, and Nan.

They had all arranged for rooms in the same hotel to which Nan was going, and where her parents were awaiting her.

Marlborough House was its name, and very attractive and comfortable it looked to the Vernondale people as they arrived about four o'clock one afternoon in early September.

Mr. and Mrs. Allen proved to be charming people who were more than ready to show any courtesies in their power to the Fairfields, who had so kindly entertained Nan.

Although an older couple than the Elliotts, they proved to be congenial companions, and after a day or two the whole party felt as if they had known each other all their lives. Acquaintances ripen easily at the seash.o.r.e, and Patty soon came to the conclusion that she was beginning what was to be one of the pleasantest experiences of her life.

And so it proved; although Mr. Fairfield announced that Patty had come down for a rest, and that there was to be very little, if any, gaiety allowed, yet somehow there was always something pleasant going on.

Every day there was salt-water bathing, and this was a great delight to Patty. The summer before, at her uncle's home on Long Island, she had learned to swim, and though it was more difficult to swim in the surf, yet it was also more fun. Nan was an expert swimmer, and Marian knew nothing of the art, but the three girls enjoyed splashing about in the water, and were never quite ready to come out when Aunt Alice or Mrs.

Allen called to them from the beach.

In the afternoons there were long walks or drives along the sh.o.r.e, and the exercise and salt air soon restored to Patty the robust health and strength which her father feared she had lost during the summer.

In the evening there was dancing--sometimes hops, but more often informal dancing among the young people staying at the hotel. All three of our girls were fond of dancing, and excelled in the art, but Patty was especially graceful and skillful.

The first Sat.u.r.day night after their arrival at Marlborough House, a large dance was to be held, and this was really Patty's first experience at what might be termed a ball.

She was delighted with the prospect, and her father had ordered her a beautiful new frock from New York, which proved to be rather longer than any she had as yet worn.

"I feel so grown up in it," she exclaimed, as she tried it on to show her father. "I think I'll have to do up my hair when I wear this grand costume; It doesn't seem just right to have it tied up with a little girl hair-ribbon."

"Patty, my child, I do believe you're growing up!" said her father.

"I do believe I am, papa; I'm almost seventeen, and I'm taller than Aunt Alice now, and a lot taller than Marian."

"It isn't only your height, child, you always were a big girl. But you seem to be growing up in other ways, and I don't believe I like it I was glad when you were no longer a child, but I like to have you a little girl, and I don't believe I'll care for you a bit when you're a young woman."

"Now, isn't that too bad!" said Patty, pinching her father's cheek. "I suppose I'll have to suit myself with another father--I'm sure I couldn't live with anybody who didn't like me a bit. Well, perhaps Uncle Charley will adopt me; he seems to like me at any age."

"Oh, I'll try and put up with you," said her father, kissing her. "And meantime, what's this talk about piling up your hair on top of your head.

Is it really absolutely necessary to do so, if you wear this frippery confection of dry-goods?"

"Oh, not necessary, perhaps, but I think it would look better. At any rate, I'll just try it."

"Well, you don't seem to be standing with very _reluctant_ feet," said her father. "I believe you're rather anxious to grow up, after all; but run along, chicken, and dress your hair any way you please. I want you to have a good time at your first ball."

As Frank Elliott and Kenneth Harper and Mr. Hepworth came down to Spring Lake to stay over Sunday, the party of friends at Marlborough House was considerably augmented. When the young men arrived the girls were lazily basking on the sand, and Nan was pretending to read a book to the other two. Only pretending, however, for Patty kept interrupting her with nonsensical remarks, and Marian teased her by slowly sifting sand through her fingers onto the pages of the book.

"I might as well try to read to a tribe of wild Indians as to you two girls," said Nan at last. "Don't you _want_ your minds improved?"

"Do you think our superior minds _can_ be improved by that trash you're reading?" said Patty. "I really think some of your instructive conversation would benefit us more greatly."

"You're an ungrateful pair," said Nan, "and you don't deserve that I should waste my valuable conversation upon you. And you don't deserve, either, that I should tell you to turn your heads around to see who's coming--but I will."

Her hearers looked round quickly, and saw three familiar figures coming along the board walk.

"Goody!" cried Patty, and scrambling to her feet, she ran with outstretched hands to meet them.

She didn't look very grown up then, in her blue-serge beach dress and her hair in a long thick braid down her back, and curling round her temples in windblown locks; but to Mr. Hepworth's artist eye she looked more beautiful than he had ever seen her.

Kenneth Harper, too, looked admiringly at the graceful figure flying toward them across the sand, but Frank shouted:

"h.e.l.lo, Patty, don't break your neck! we're coming down there.

Where's Marian?"

"She's right here," answered Patty; "we're all right here. Your mother's up on the veranda. Oh, I'm so glad to see you! This is the loveliest place, and we're having the beautifullest time; and now that you boys have come, it will be better than ever. And there's going to be a hop tonight! Isn't that gay? Oh, how do you do, Mr. Hepworth?"

Though Patty's manner took on a shade more of dignity in addressing the older man, it lost nothing in cordiality, and he responded with words of glad greeting.

Hearing the laughter and excitement, Aunt Alice and Mrs. Allen came down from the veranda to sit on the sand by the young people. Soon Mr.

Fairfield and Mr. Allen and Mr. Elliott, returning from a stroll, joined the party.

The newcomers produced divers and sundry parcels, which they turned over to the ladies, and which proved to contain various new books and magazines and delicious candies and fruits.

"It's just like Christmas!" exclaimed Patty. "I do love to have things brought to me."

"You're certainly in your element now, then," said Mr. Fairfield, looking at his daughter, who sat with a fig in one hand and a chocolate in the other, trying to open a book with her elbows.