FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89  
90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   >>   >|  
ty of any sort, but to-night she was specially happy to think that her plan had succeeded, and that she had given to her dear friend Kitty what she most wanted in all the world. "And I trust it will not be long," said Sir Otho, "before you will all accept an invitation to dine with me in Carlton Terrace, with Lady Hamilton presiding at my table." This invitation was delightedly accepted, and then they all went up to the Fairfields' drawing-room, and Patty sang songs, and they all sang choruses, and then, as a final surprise, came a great, beautiful birthday cake, with eighteen lighted candles. Then Patty cut the cake, and there were more congratulations and good wishes all round, and for pretty nearly the eighteenth time in her life Patty declared it was the best birthday she had ever had. CHAPTER XII SUMMER PLANS "As usual," said Mr. Fairfield, smiling, "the question is, what is to be done with Patty?" "Yes," agreed Patty, complacently, "you and Nan are usually trying to dispose of me in some way. It's lucky I'm good-natured and don't mind being left behind." "That's a pretty speech!" exclaimed Nan, "after we've begged and coaxed you to go with us!" "So you have, my pretty little Stepmother--so you have; and I'm just ungrateful enough not to want to go." It was about a week after the birthday party, and the Fairfields were making their plans for the summer. The elders wanted to travel in Switzerland and Germany. Patty did not want to go with them, but her dilemma was, which of several delightful invitations to accept. "You see," she went on, "I'm invited to spend June in five separate places, each one lovelier than the other. Now I can't chop myself up into five pieces." "You can chop June up into five pieces," suggested Nan. "Yes, but if I go to a country house to make a good long visit, I want to stay about a month. A week here and then a week there is so unsatisfactory. However, after much thoughtful brooding over the question, I've cut out three, and that brings my quandary down to only two places to decide between." "Lady Hamilton's being one," observed her father. "Yes, Kitty's is one; and Mabel Hartley's is the other. Of course, if I spend June with Kitty, we'll be right here in London all the time, and though I love it, yet I love the country too. Now, if I go to Mabel's, I'll have a beautiful experience of real English country life." "You would enjoy it, I'm sure,"
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89  
90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

country

 

birthday

 

pretty

 
beautiful
 
question
 

places

 
Fairfields
 

pieces

 

Hamilton

 

wanted


invitation
 

accept

 

delightful

 

dilemma

 

making

 
invitations
 

elders

 

travel

 

summer

 
invited

Switzerland

 
Germany
 

father

 

Hartley

 

observed

 

decide

 

London

 
English
 

experience

 

quandary


suggested

 

lovelier

 

ungrateful

 

brings

 

brooding

 

thoughtful

 

unsatisfactory

 

However

 

separate

 

delightedly


accepted

 

drawing

 

Carlton

 

Terrace

 

presiding

 

eighteen

 
lighted
 

candles

 

surprise

 

choruses