Patty at Home | Page 9

minute is nearly up, I move we start."

CHAPTER IV
BOXLEY HALL
After consultation with various real estate agents, and after due
consideration of the desirable houses they had to offer, Mr. Fairfield
came to the conclusion that the Bigelow house, which Marian had
suggested, was perhaps the most attractive of any.
And so, one afternoon, a party of very interested people went over to
look at it.
The procession was headed by Patty and Marian, followed by Mr.
Fairfield and Aunt Alice, while Frank and his father brought up the rear.
But as they were going out of the Elliotts' front gate, Laura Russell
came flying across the street.
"Where are all you people going?" she cried. "I know you're going to
look at a house. Which one?"
"The Bigelow house," said Marian, "and I'm almost sure Uncle Fred
will decide to take it. Come on with us; we're going all through it."
"No," said Laura, looking disappointed, "I don't want to go; and I don't
want the Fairfields to live in that house anyway. If they would only
look at that little cottage next-door to us, I know they'd like it ever so
much better. Oh, please, Mr. Fairfield, won't you come over and look at
it now? It's so pretty and cunning, and it has the loveliest garden and
chicken-coop and everything."
"I don't want a chicken-coop," said Patty, laughing; "I've no chickens,
and I don't want any."
"Our chickens are over there most of the time," said Laura.
"Then, of course, we ought to have a coop to keep our neighbours'
chickens in," said Mr. Fairfield; "and if this cottage is as delightful as
Miss Russell makes it out, I think it's our duty at least to go and look at

it. If the rest of you are willing, suppose we go over there first, and then
if we should decide not to take it, we'll have time to investigate the
Bigelow afterward"
Marian looked so woe-begone that Patty laughed.
"Cheer up, girl," she said; "there isn't one chance in a million of our
taking that doll's house, but Laura will never give us a minute's peace
until we go and look at it; so we may as well go now, and get it over."
"All right," said Marian; and Patty, with her two girl friends on either
side of her, started in the direction of the cottage.
But when they reached it, Mr. Fairfield exclaimed in amazement. "That
little house?" he said. "Oh, I see; that's the chicken-coop you spoke of.
Well, where is the house?"
"This is the house," said Laura; "but, somehow, it does look smaller
than usual; still, it's a great deal bigger inside."
"No doubt," said Frank. "I've often noticed that the inside of a house is
much larger than the outside. Of course, we can't all go in at once, but
I'm willing to wait my turn. Who will go first?"
"Very well, you may stay outside," said Laura. "I think the rest of us
can all squeeze in at once, if we try."
But Frank followed the rest of the party, and, passing through the
narrow hall, they entered the tiny parlour.
"I never was in such a crowded room," said Marian. "I can scarcely get
my breath. I had no idea there were so many of us."
"Well, you're not going to live here," said Laura. "There's room enough
for just Patty and her father."
"There is, if we each take a room to ourself," said Mr. Fairfield. "You
may have this parlour, my daughter, and I'll take the library. Where is
the library, Miss Russell?"

"I think it has just stepped out," said Frank; "at any rate, it isn't on this
floor; there's only this room, and the dining-room, and a kitchen
cupboard."
"Very likely the library is on the third floor," said Marian; "that would
be convenient."
"There isn't any third floor," explained Laura. "This is what they call a
story-and-a-half house."
"It would have to be expanded into a serial story, then, before it would
do for us," said Mr. Fairfield. "We may not be such big people, but
Patty and I have a pretty large estimate of ourselves, and I am sure we
never could live in such a short-story-and-a-half as this seems to be."
"Indeed, we couldn't, papa," said Patty. "Just look at this dining-room.
I'm sure it's only big enough for one. We would have to have our meals
alternately; you could have breakfast, and I would have dinner one day,
and the next day we'd reverse the order."
"Come, look at the kitchen, Patty," called out Frank; "or at least stick
your head in; there isn't room for all of you. See the stationary tubs.
Two of them, you see; each just the size