Polly and Her Friends Abroad Part 6

"Perhaps Miss Angela will join us, and we can divide the party accordingly," persisted Mrs. Alexander, eagerly.

"Oh yes, I'd love to be one of the touring party," said Angela. "But what do the others say about this idea?"

"If we could make the trip and get me back to London in two weeks' time, so I can keep the appointments with several men I agreed to see, I'd like it immensely," said Mr. Ashby.

"As for us-we planned to tour England, anyway, and traveling with a party of friends will make it all the pleasanter," added Mr. Fabian.

"Oh, how grand! Then it is all settled, isn't it?" cried Mrs. Alexander, clasping her be-ringed hands estatically.

"That depends on Jimmy," remarked Angela.

"Jimmy will agree to do anything, the moment he meets this new bevy of pretty girls," laughed Sir James.

"You don't seem to worry much over his susceptible heart," ventured Mr.

Fabian.

"No, because 'there is safety in numbers,' you know," said Lady Osgood.

"And Jimmy falls out of love quite as safely as he falls in."

Mrs. Alexander listened intently whenever anyone spoke of the heir, and she made up her mind that that son must fall in love with Dodo if she had to take him by the neck and shake him into it. And once he was in love, she would see that Dodo accepted him and gave him no excuse to fall out again.

"What do you think of this touring plan, Angie?" asked Nancy Fabian of her friend Angela.

"Why I like it, Nan; don't you think it will be heaps of fun? Much nicer than doing as we first planned, you know. With a large party of young folks there is always more sport."

"Yes, I agree with you." Then Nancy turned to her father: "Have we arranged about the expenses of the trip? Of course the guests will want to entertain the owners of the two cars."

"Oh decidedly!" agreed Mr. Fabian.

"Indeed not!" objected Mrs. Alexander. "What do you think of me, with all my money, letting others pay any of the bills?"

This shocked her hearers and she actually realized that she had committed a social error that time. So she hoped for some opening by which she could mend matters. Sir James gave it to her.

"It would seem better, if financial arrangements were left to the men, to settle. Ladies are seldom experienced enough to a.s.sume such responsibilities. So, if all agree, the cost and payment of bills will be attended to by the four gentlemen."

That smoothed matters out agreeably for the time being, and the subject of the itinerary was taken up and discussed. Dinner pa.s.sed with no other breach of etiquette by the Alexanders, and they all went to the drawing-room to complete the plans for the trip.

Dodo and her father were unusually quiet that evening, but Mrs.

Alexander seemed the more pleased at it. In fact, she did so much talking about the car and how they all loved to drive it, that Dodo finally silenced her with a strange remark.

"Ma, suppose you wait until you find whether your car can be driven this summer. It may have disappeared from the garage in London, where you _say_ it is waiting."

Mrs. Alexander then remembered a very grave situation. "Did anyone remember that there would be thirteen in this party? Someone must drop out, or we'll have to add an extra pa.s.senger."

The others laughed, believing she was joking, and Sir James said: "Oh, that sort of superst.i.tion never worries one, these days."

"Do you mean to say, you wouldn't hesitate to do anything when there were thirteen in it?" wondered Mrs. Alexander.

"Of course not! Thirteen really ought to be a lucky number because it is made up of one and three-both very lucky numerals," returned Sir James.

"It is only the fear of a thing that gives it any power. And the sooner you overcome the fear of thirteen being unlucky, it turns out to be favorable for you."

As long as a wise man like Sir James said so, Mrs. Alexander thought it must be so, and nothing more was said about the thirteen in the party.

Jimmy had not come in that night when the guests said good-night to their host and hostess and retired. But what Sir James and his wife said to him when he did let himself in in the 'wee sma hours' about the bevy of very wealthy girls who were waiting for him to choose a wife from, had due effect on the young man.

"And remember, Jimmy," added his sister Angela. "These four girls have money by the bag! Nancy Fabian is a dandy girl, but she hasn't a cent to bless her husband with."

In the morning, when Mr. and Mrs. Alexander appeared in street costumes ready to go to the garage where they believed their automobile would be awaiting them, Jimmy said he would go with them.

"Oh dear no! I couldn't think of such a thing," declared Mrs. Alexander, anxiously, "Why, I am not even taking Dodo. But leaving her here for you to entertain."

Jimmy grinned and thought to himself: "If Dodo is anything like her parents she'll entertain _me_, not _me her_." But he said aloud: "I really feel that your husband and I ought to get the car out, Mrs.

Alexander, and spare you that trouble."

"No trouble whatever, my dear boy, as I propose looking at a new roadster for myself, at the same time," said the lady.

To escape further explanations, she managed to get her husband out of the house before the others came down to the morning meal.

As one girl after another appeared and was introduced to Jimmy, he thought: "Angie was right! here is as delightful a bouquet of lovely buds as I ever saw."

And Nancy Fabian saw, to her satisfaction, that he had quite forgotten his broken heart that was caused by her refusal. Angela was nineteen in years, but older in experience than Jimmy who was twenty-one. She generally advised her brother in family problems that he would have shirked, had it not been for his sister.

With all the display of wealth and the semblance of riches that had to be carried on by Sir James in order to maintain his new position, the Osgood estate was in sore need of help. The loss of much money invested in war speculations and the heavy taxes imposed since the war, had impoverished his estate. But the Osgoods bravely kept up appearances while their feet were marking time on a tread-mill that Jimmy could, and would have to, work for them by marrying money.

So it was with a sense of tremendous relief that both Sir James and his wife saw such pretty American girls descend upon them, that day, and the fact that each girl had a fortune coming to her, was no obstacle in the way of their welcome of them.

Because of this fact, and also because Mrs. Alexander plainly showed her hand to the Englishman, he overcame many scruples to herself and seconded her plan of the touring party. To Angela, he confided the hope that she would return home with Jimmy securely engaged to one of the rich girls-for Jimmy had to obey his family in this matter.

The first girl Jimmy met that morning was Polly, who was always an early riser. She came downstairs in a slow dignified way, and Angela introduced her to Jimmy, who was standing in the library. He thought he had never seen such wonderful eyes, and such a ma.s.s of bronze-glinting hair. He attended her to the breakfast room and watched every motion and manner of her perfectly poised form.

Before he could quite lose himself in her charm, however, Eleanor bounced into the room. Here was a bright merry girl, full of mischief, and dearly delighting to flirt and tease anyone who would give her the opportunity.

Eleanor was attractive and pretty in a different way from Polly. And now Jimmy found it hard to choose which of the two girls he preferred. Then before he could decide, Dodo came in.

Dodo was domineering in her grand beauty. She was so frank and sincere, too, that everyone liked her, but Jimmy felt afraid of her. The fact that she was the richest one of the girls, also caused him to fear to try his luck with her.

While he was considering all these facts, sweet pretty Ruth came in.

Here was a type Jimmy fully understood. She was pensive and alluring, and her round baby-blue eyes appealed to his gallant heart. Her wavy chestnut hair and her dainty figure would look well when she received with Lady Osgood, thought he. And Ruth also had a fortune awaiting her because she was an only child. So he finally chose Ruth for his bride-to-be. And straightway he turned all his attention to her.

The young folks thoroughly enjoyed that morning while growing better acquainted with each other; and by noon, when the purr of an engine came to them from the driveway, they rushed to the front windows and crowded their pretty heads together, in order to see who was stopping at the house in this unusual season for London.

"My goodness! if it isn't Ma in a splendiferous car!" exclaimed Dodo, laughing uncertainly at the sight.

Little Mr. Alexander sat behind the wheel, perfectly happy, there, with a black pipe between his lips. He was smoking like a factory chimney and his wife was not saying a word in protest. She sat beside him, trying to impress upon his mind some new rule or remembrance of etiquette that he had ignored.

"Now don't forget, Eben," she was heard to say. "We had it all done over for this very tour!"

And her husband grinned self-complacently as he looked at her, but he never admitted that she had any further authority to command him. He actually seemed to have gained some power over his wife that she dared not question.