Part 10 (2/2)
”What in the world--” began Elinor and then she, too, smiled. ”He's telephoning to Madame Milano. Listen, Patricia.”
Patricia heard with rising hopes the deep regret of Bruce's rich tones as he explained to the prima donna the reason Patricia had not availed herself of the gracious invitation. The pauses in which Bruce listened must have been filled to his satisfaction, for after he had hung up the receiver he came back into the studio rubbing his hands gleefully.
”Did you hear me put it to her?” he asked, grinning. ”I got her hotel and then her apartment and then her maid, and finally the Madame herself. She is sorrier than she was ten minutes ago and she is going to ask you to her Monday 'Hour,' as she calls it, a much more intimate affair, I can a.s.sure you.”
Patricia clasped her hands rapturously. ”Oh, you _duck_!” she cried ardently. ”You're the cleverest thing in the world to get me another invitation. Am I to go alone? And what time am I to come?”
”You're to have your elder sister for a chaperon and your distinguished brother-in-law as attendant,” replied Bruce gravely. ”I wanted to put in a word for you, Judy, but I was afraid to push her too hard this time.”
”I couldn't go, thank you,” returned Judith composedly. ”I have an extra in French tomorrow after school and I've made an engagement to go to the French church with Mademoiselle afterward.”
Patricia was in the seventh heaven of delight at the prospect of actually taking tea with the noted singer and her intimate friends. She plied Bruce with innumerable questions and grew so Patricia-like and merry over the absurd answers he manufactured to meet her demands that the picnic supper was the gayest family affair they had had since Patricia left them.
”I'll be over at three tomorrow, Elinor,” she promised as they left her at the green entrance door of Artemis Lodge after having walked home with her through the sparkling night. ”Don't let Bruce be late, or she'll never forgive us.”
Elinor promised to keep an eye on her erring husband and see that everything went smoothly this time.
Patricia watched the three figures walking briskly down the street, and she closed the door with a little bang.
”Won't Rosamond be surprised?” she smiled to herself, seeing the light in the windows which told that their rooms were occupied.
She found Rosamond wrapped in a sumptuous down quilt, sitting over the fire in a drowsy state, and she had to repeat the glorious news twice before her friend responded. Even then she was not as interested as Patricia had hoped.
”Yes, it's lovely,” she said, slowly, ”and I'm sure you'll have a good time. Do you mind getting out my night things? I'm awfully sleepy and I'm going straight to bed.”
Patricia did as she was asked and then helped the heavy-lidded Rosamond to her rose-and-gold room, saying good-night a little coolly.
”She might have tried to wake up for such splendid news,” she thought, a little dampened by this casual reception of her glad tidings.
The next morning Rosamond was still too sleepy and tired to rise and Patricia was afraid that she might be really ill. But she denied more than a slight cold--a ”sleepy headache,” as she called it--and asked to be left alone to sleep it out.
Patricia left her still in bed when she started to the studio in the afternoon, though she seemed almost herself again.
”Come in and tell me all about it the moment you get back,” she called as Patricia left her.
And Patricia promised blithely.
CHAPTER IX
ROSAMOND'S FRIEND
Patricia kept her promise. She ran upstairs to the pretty rooms in Artemis Lodge with such a radiant face that Rosamond, who was sitting up trying to get interested in a magazine story, laid down the book with a sigh of relief.
”You've had a wonderful time, I know,” she said expectantly. ”Throw your things on the couch and tell me all about it.”
<script>