"Bless my soul!" he exclaimed, staring at her, "I forgot you were with me. What shall I do? Allow me to present Mr. Harding. Ted, this is my cousin, Miss Patty Fairfield; I am supposed to be escorting her home, but if what you tell me is so, I must go at once to see Varian. Wait, I have it, Patty; I'll send you home by a messenger; you don't mind, do you?" "No, indeed, Cousin Tom," said Patty; "send me any way you like." So Mr. Fleming called a messenger-boy, and giving Patty, and all the wraps and bags into his charge, he sent them to his mother's house. "Tell them I met Harding, and had to go away with him on some very important business," he said to Patty. "I'll be home to-night,--good-bye." And with a hasty hand-shake, he turned again to his friend and they walked rapidly away. "Come this way, miss," said the messenger, who was a tall youth, polite and deferential, and who appeared not at all surprised at the order given him. "I'll take you along all right." He piloted Patty with great care and after riding for some distance on the street cars, they arrived at Mrs. Fleming's house. CHAPTER IX THE FLEMINGS The messenger-boy rang the door bell, and a white-capped maid opened the door. When she saw the uniformed youth, she held out her hand for his book, signed it and dismissed him. Then turning to Patty, she said, "This way, miss," and ushered her into a small reception room. As Patty wrote to her father afterwards, she felt like a package sent from a department store, and she looked down, almost expecting to find herself wrapped in paper and tied with a string. After she had waited about ten minutes, a tall young woman came quickly down-stairs and passed along the hall. She had on a hat and jacket, and was evidently going away in a great hurry. As she went by the reception room, she caught sight of Patty through the open door, and stopped in surprise. "Good-morning," she said, in a quick, hurried way. "Did you wish to see me?" "I don't know," said Patty, uncertain whether this was a cousin or a visitor at the house. "I am Patty Fairfield." "Oh, yes, of course,--our cousin from the South. I'm so glad to see you,"--she shook Patty's hand hastily,--"but I must ask you to excuse me this morning, as I am just going to a meeting of the 'Current Events' Club, and I am already five minutes late." With an apologetic smile she hastened away, and Patty waited again. Then she heard another step on the stairs, and another lady entered the room. This time it was Aunt Hester. She was a delicate looking little woman with silver hair, but Patty knew her at once from her resemblance to her father, who was Mrs. Fleming's brother. "My dear child," said her aunt, as she kissed Patty, affectionately, "we are very glad to have you with us. But where is Tom?" "He met a friend, Mr. Harding, and went away with him on very important business. He said to tell you he would be home to-night, and he sent me here by a messenger-boy."