y—Bride
CHAPTER I
PHILIP’S CHANCE
“I can’t stand it, Patty, I simply can’t stand it!”
“But you’ll have to, Phil, dear. I’m engaged to Little Billee, and some day I’m going to marry him. And that’s all there is about it.”
“Oh, no, Patty, that isn’t all about it. I’m not going to give you up so easily. You don’t know how I care for you. You’ve no idea what a determined chap I can be, – ”
“Now, stop, Phil. You know you promised that we should be friends and nothing more. You promised not to ask for more than my friendship – didn’t you, now?”
“I did but that was only so you’d stay friendly with me, and I thought, – forgive the egotism, – I thought I could yet win your love. Patty, you don’t care such a lot for Farnsworth, do you, now?”
“Indeed I do, Phil. Why, do you suppose I’d be engaged to him if I didn’t love him more than anybody in all the world? Of course I wouldn’t!”
“I know you think so, Patty,” Phil’s handsome face was grave and kind, “but you may be mistaken.”
“I’m not mistaken, Philip, and unless you change your subject of conversation, I’ll have to ask you to go away. I should think you’d scorn to talk like that to a girl who’s engaged to another man!”
“I should think I would, too, Patty. But I can’t help it. Oh, my girl, my little love, I can’t give you up. I can’t tamely stand aside and make no effort to win you back! I’m not asking anything wrong, Patty, only don’t send me away; let me try once again for you, – ”
“It’s too late, Phil,” and Patty looked a little frightened at his vehemence.
“It’s never too late, until you’re actually married to him. When will that be?”
“Oh, I don’t know. We’ve only been engaged a fortnight, – ”
“And I only learned of it today, – ”
“I know, I tried to get you on the telephone, – ”
“Yes, I’ve been down in Washington for a week or more. But, Patty, dearest, think how surprised and stunned I was to hear of it. I came right over, to learn from you, yourself, if it could be true.”
“Yes, Philip, it is true, and I’m glad and happy about it. I’m sorry you’ve been disappointed, but – there are others – ”
“Hush!” and Van Reypen fairly glared at her, “never imply that there’s any one else in the world for me! Oh, Patty, my little Patty, I can’t bear it.”
His great, dark eyes were full of despair, his face was drawn with sorrow, and Patty forgave him, even while she resented his attitude.
“You mustn’t, Philip,” she said, gently; “it isn’t right for you to talk to me like that. I feel disloyal, even to listen to it.”
“I don’t care!” Van Reypen burst out. “You’re mine! You promised Aunty Van you’d marry me! You promised!”
Philip grasped her hand in both his own, and gazed at her so wildly that Patty was tempted to run out of the room. But she realised the matter must be settled once for all, and she spoke with dignity.
“Philip,” she said, “I don’t think you’re quite fair to me, – or to Billee. Is it manly to talk like this to the girl who is promised to your friend?”
“No, it isn’t. You’re right, Patty.” Van Reypen dropped her hand and folding his arms, stood and looked at her. “But listen to me, girl. I shall not give up until you’re married to Farnsworth. If I can win you back from him, I’m going to do so. I shall do nothing wrong. But, dear, I’m so miserable, – so utterly heart-broken, – you won’t put me out of your life, – will you?”
Now one of Patty’s strongest traits of character was her dislike of giving pain to another. Philip could have put forth no more powerful argument than an avowal of his disappointment. Against her better judgment, even against her own wish, she smiled kindly on him.
“I don’t want to put you out of my life, Phil, but I can’t let you talk to me like this, – ”
“I won’t, Patty. Just let me see you once in a while, let me keep on loving you, and then, if you really love Bill better than you do me, I’ll see it, – I’ll know it, and I’ll give you up.”
“All right, then, but you must promise not to tell me you care for me.”
Van Reypen gave a short, hard laugh. “Not tell you! When I don’t tell you, I won’t be breathing! Why, Patty, I can’t any more help telling you, than I can help loving you. But I promise not to make your life a burden, – or myself a nuisance. Trust me, dear. I don’t mean to steal you away from Bill, – unless you want to be stolen.”
“I don’t!” and Patty’s smile and blush showed plainly where her heart had been given.
Phil winced, but he said, blithely, “Very good, my lady. There’s no use being too down-hearted about it all. Give me my chance, – that’s all I ask.”
“But, Phil, the time for your ‘chance’ as you call it, is past. I’m engaged to Little Billee; – to me that’s as sacred, as unbreakable a promise, as my marriage vows will be.”
“Oh, no, it isn’t! Lots of people break off an engagement.”
Philip’s lightness annoyed Patty, and her mood changed.
“Well, then,” she said, “if you can so bewitch me that I want to break my engagement to Bill Farnsworth, I’ll do it, but you’ve about as much chance as – as nothing at all!”
“I’ll make a chance! Oh, Patty, don’t forget you said that! Don’t forget you said if I can win you away from him, I may do so! Listen, dear. I’m not over conceited, or vain, but I do think that you don’t quite know your own mind, and you’re a little bit dazzled by Bill’s big masterfulness and you don’t realise that perhaps there are other things worth while.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’ll stick to my word. And I’ll add that I know you never can cut Bill out, because I love him too much. So, there now!”
“Maybe I can’t, maybe you’re right, but I’ll have a go at it, all the same.”
“Of course, you know, I’ll tell him of this conversation.”
“Of course you may. There’s nothing underhanded about my determination. If I can win you from him, it’ll be done fairly, and in that case, Bill’s own sense of justice would make him willing to give you up.”
“Little Billee give me up! Willingly? Nevaire!”
“He would, Patty, if you told him yourself that you loved me more.”
“Oh, that! But I’ve no expectation of ever doing that.”
“Who can say? You’re a fickle little thing, you know – ”
“Indeed I’m not!”
“Yes, you are, and always have been. You’re fond of Bill just now, because he’s been doing the caveman act, carrying you off from the Blaney party, and such things, but you’ll soon tire of him, – ”
“Stop, Philip! I won’t listen to such talk.”
Patty put her hands over her ears and pouted. It was nearing twilight of an afternoon in late January, and the two were in the library of the Fairfield home. Patty had become engaged to Farnsworth while on a visit to Adele Kenerley, and had but lately returned from there.
This was her first interview with Philip since her engagement, and she had dreaded it, for she knew Phil’s stubborn and persistent nature would not tamely submit to an end of his hopes. Patty had firmly resolved that if Philip insisted on telling her of his love for her, she would refuse to see him at all; but her gentle heart could not let her summarily dismiss him. She temporised, not because she cared for him, or had the least thought of disloyalty to Farnsworth, but because she couldn’t bear to hurt him by forbidding him to come to her home.
She tried to change the subject. She was sitting in the corner of a huge davenport,