be Bert Chester and his three friends, of whom he had told Patty before.
The four young men were about to start on a motor tour, and were
spending a few days in Paris first.

They were all big stalwart young Englishmen, and when Bert introduced
Paul and Philip Marchbanks and Arthur Oram, Patty thought she had never
seen more pleasant-looking boys.

"We're jolly glad to be allowed to come to see you," said Phil
Marchbanks, addressing Mrs. Farrington, but including them all in his
conversation; "we know almost nobody in Paris, and we're so glad to see
some friendly faces."

"We may as well own up," said his brother Paul, "that we're just a bit
homesick. We're going to have a fine time, of course, after we get
started, but it takes a few days to get used to it."

It amused Patty to think of these great, big boys being homesick, but
she rather liked their frank admission of it, and she began to ask them
questions about their automobile.

The boys had no chauffeur with them, and Arthur Oram drove the car, with
occasional assistance from the others. Of course, the boys were
enthusiastic regarding their car, and young Oram particularly fell into
discussions with Mr. Farrington as to the respective merits of various
makes.

"We've done up Paris pretty well," said Bert Chester; "we've only been
arrested for speeding once; but that's not surprising, for they let you
go about as fast as you like here, and with their marvellously fine