Chapter 8 TWO SLEIGHRIDES

In the centre of the table was a huge round cake encrusted with gorgeous frosting in the forms of beautiful flowers. Around its sides were festoons of buds and blossoms, while here and there a sugar butterfly was poised as if ready for flight.

There were flowers beside every plate, there were ices in wonderful shapes, there were bonbons and nuts in abundance, while great silver baskets were heaped with luscious fruits.

What a treat it was! How they laughed and talked as they enjoyed the feast! How bright the lights, how sweet the scent of the lovely flowers with which every room was decorated!

From the drawing-room the tender music floated in. Oh, it was like a dream of fairyland!

Nina Earl watched Patricia closely.

"I guess you never saw a finer party than this," she said.

Patricia stared for a moment, then she said just what one might have expected.

"This is a lovely party, and I never saw a grander one except one I went to when I was in N' York, where they had a cake as big as this whole table, and-"

"Then the table to hold such a cake as that must have been pretty big to get inside of any room!" laughed Reginald.

"Well, you didn't see it, so you can't know how grand it looked," Patricia replied, and as that was quite true, Reginald had nothing to say.

Lola Blessington sat beside Nancy, and many of the older guests watched the two as they talked together, and thought how charming they were, and how very unlike.

Lola's blue eyes were merry, and her sea-nymph's costume was very becoming, while Nancy's fine dark eyes and graceful figure never looked prettier than in her lovely shepherdess frock.

At Nancy's right sat Dorothy, and her beautiful little face showed the joy that was in her heart. She was always happiest when giving pleasure to others.

And when at last the feast had been enjoyed, more merry games had been played, and tripping feet had danced to lively measures, then the great hall clock hands pointed to the hour, and the guests remembered that it was quite time to be thinking of home.

A surprise awaited the merrymakers, for when good-nights had been said, and they stepped out into the crisp air, they shouted with delight, for lo, while they had been in the warm, flower-scented rooms, a snowstorm had been covering the steps, the gardens, the avenue with a white velvet carpet!

"Hurrah!" shouted Reginald, "this is the first snowstorm, and there'll be fun every day as long as it lasts."

Long icicles hung like diamond pendants from roof and balcony, and still the snow-flakes like downy feathers were falling lazily, as if they knew not whether to pause, or to continue to descend.

And when the last carriage had rolled down the driveway Dorothy turned, and clasping Nancy's hands, she said:

"Oh, there never was such a perfect party! We'll always remember it."

"Always," said Nancy.

There were two thoughts, two pictures in her mind. She was thinking of Dorothy's first party, when, as a little outcast, she had climbed up into the branches of a tree which overhung the great garden, that thus she might peep at the lovely children in their beautiful frocks; now, as Dorothy's friend and playmate, she had enjoyed this fancy dress party, in a costume as charming as that of any guest.

She was happy now, and how dearly she loved Dorothy, how grateful she was for her home and friends!

For days they talked of nothing but the party, and Aunt Charlotte found it a little difficult to keep them from whispering about it during school hours.

Three little guests who had intended to come, had, at the last moment, been obliged to remain at home. They were Mr. Dainty's nephews, and they had been much disappointed in losing a charming visit in which a fine party was to have been included.

Patricia, with her usual lack of sweetness, told Arabella that she did not believe that those three boys had ever thought of coming.

"Well, anyway, we were there, and we had a fine time, but say,-there weren't two fountains after all!" said Arabella.

"Why, what a thing to say, when I showed you the second one, only it didn't work right," Patricia replied. "The way I turned it made steam, so if I'd only just turned it the other way it would have been water."

"How do you know it would?" Arabella asked in a teasing voice.

"How do you know it wouldn't?" Patricia replied, and Arabella chose to make no reply.

After the little happening in the conservatory on the evening of the party, Aunt Matilda spoke plainly to Arabella about her choice of playmates.

"I don't approve of that Lavine girl," she had said.

"You don't know her," ventured Arabella.

"I don't need to," was the curt reply. "A girl that can't go to a party without meddling with things, and getting into mischief, is not the girl that I care to have you with, and there's no reason why you should go to the other end of the town to find a playmate; there are enough pleasant girls in your own school."

Aunt Matilda's words were true, but with Arabella's contrary nature, the fact that her aunt did not approve of Patricia, made her the most desirable of all her playmates.

She at once decided to spend the next Saturday with Patricia. She did not dare to ask Patricia to call for her, because Aunt Matilda, if exasperated, might send her home, and Patricia would never overlook that. She had just decided to invite herself to visit Patricia when something happened which delighted her.

It was after school, and they were talking of the coming Saturday, and how it should be spent.

"We've not seen you driving your pony for a long time," said Katie Dean.

"We are going out with Romeo on Saturday," Dorothy said.

"There's a lovely road where the great icicles hang from the trees like fringe, and the groom says it's the finest road for sleighing in Merrivale."

Patricia had not been to school, and had walked over to meet the pupils of the little private class.

"I suppose Nancy's going with you," Patricia said.

"Of course she will," said Katie, "don't you just know that Dorothy wouldn't care for the ride if Nancy weren't with her?"

Katie laughed as she said it, the others joining in the merriment, for it was well known that while Dorothy cared very truly for all her friends, Nancy was the dearest. Patricia knew how handsome Romeo looked in his fine harness, and the trim little sleigh with its soft fur robes made a nice setting for Dorothy and Nancy as they spun over the glistening road. She determined to say something which would impress all who listened.

"I'll invite you to a sleighride with me, Arabella," she said, "will you go?"

"Yes, indeed," said Arabella, "what time shall I be ready?"

"You be over at my house 'bout two, and we'll go as soon as we want to," she said.

Nina looked at Jeanette, and when Patricia had left them she spoke the thought that was in her mind.

"I didn't know Patricia Lavine had a horse and sleigh. Has any one ever seen her driving?" she asked.

"Don't b'lieve she has," said Reginald.

Patricia had offended him that afternoon by calling him a little boy.

"You mustn't say that," said Katie, who, being a year older than her cousin Reginald, felt obliged to reprove him when things that he said were just a little too naughty.

"You just tell me, Katie Dean, do you b'lieve she has?" he asked, but Katie was talking to Mollie, and she chose to let him think that she had not heard his question.

The day set for the two sleighrides was clear and crisp.

Mrs. Dainty and Aunt Charlotte were entertaining each other with exchanging memories of Mrs. Dainty's school-days when with her classmates she had been as popular as Dorothy now was, and Aunt Charlotte had found it a task to keep them under good discipline without quelling their high spirits.

The fire in the grate flamed higher and crackled merrily, and in the glow the two ladies were enjoying tea, small cakes, and bonbons.

"You may go for a short sleighride, if you wish," Mrs. Dainty said, "if you and Nancy will dress very warmly for the trip. Aunt Charlotte and I have decided to remain here cosily by the fire."

"But Romeo hasn't been out for days, and I don't mind the cold. It'll be just gay out in the crisp air," Dorothy said.

"Then surely you may go if it is to be so very gay," said Mrs. Dainty, laughing, "but remember what I said about wearing warm wraps and furs."

Dorothy promised, and soon, with the groom riding behind them, they were off over the road.

Romeo was as delighted as they, and sped along as if shod with wings, his mane and tail floating gracefully as he almost flew along.

Dorothy and Nancy, nestled in a white fur robe, felt only the frosty touch of the sharp wind upon their cheeks, and they laughed and talked as if it had been a summer day.

On the dry bushes by the roadside great flocks of tiny sparrows hopped from twig to twig, chattering and twittering as they pecked at the little dried berries. A great crow flew out from a bit of woodland, making a noisy protest that any one should drive over the quiet road, and thus disturb his musings.

The icicles were glittering in the sunlight, and the crust sparkled as if powdered with diamond dust, while the rough bark of the trees still held a coating of frost which the sunlight had not been warm enough to melt.

"We'll tell them how beautiful it looked when we get home," said Dorothy, her eyes bright with delight.

"It will take two of us to even half tell it," laughed Nancy.

And while Dorothy and Nancy were gliding rapidly over the frosty highway, Arabella was standing at Patricia's door, ringing the bell, and wondering why no one replied. Then some one came around the corner.

"Hello!" she cried. "Ma's gone to spend the afternoon with a friend, and I've just been out to see about our sleigh, so nobody heard you ring. The sleigh'll be here in just a minute; you come up with me and help me bring down some shawls."

Without stopping to question, Arabella followed her up the three flights of stairs, and such an array of shawls as Patricia brought out!

"These sofa cushions I'll throw downstairs, and we can pick them up afterwards," she said.

Over the baluster she flung cushion after cushion, until Arabella's curiosity forced her to question.

"What ever are you going to do with all those cushions?" she asked.

Patricia looked very wise.

"Oh, you'll see," she said, and when she had reached the lower hall she peeped out.

"Here it is!" she said.

Arabella looked.

"Why, that's an old pung!" she said.

"Well, who said it wasn't?" Patricia replied sharply; "but it isn't an old one now, because it has just been painted yellow. It's our grocer's, and the boy that drives it is going to let us ride in it this afternoon."

Arabella hesitated. She knew that Aunt Matilda did not wish her to be with Patricia at all, and she also felt that to ride in a yellow pung, lettered, "Fine Groceries, Butter, Cheese, and Eggs," was surely not aristocratic, and yet, what fun it would be!