Louise, the irrepressible, grinned above her salad. "Kinda lady loana da
cloes," she said glibly; and the waiter, who had heard her discoursing
in rapid and fluent English of an unmistakably home-grown kind the
moment before, got behind a palm. If he hadn't he would have disgraced
himself in a way no well-trained waiter should. Billy, too, dived into
his napkin and seemed to have swallowed something down his Sunday
throat. But Miss Lawrence remained quite calm.
"I have taken quite a fancy to them," she said. "They seem like good,
industrious girls. I am glad to see you are so interested, too, Mrs.
Gardner. The best way to help them--you were going to ask me that, were
you not--is to buy their goods. You'll find them on sale in the little
rose-room."
"Oh--ah, yes indeed!" said Mrs. Gardner, and fled, while the young
people regarded Miss Lawrence with admiration.
When the meal was over Miss Lawrence would not hear of their going back
to the camp, or going on with their selling. The bellboy or a maid could
go on looking after their things, she said, and sent Billy over to see
about it. Then they went into one of the little dancing-rooms and showed
each other steps for a long time; that is, Billy and Winona did, for
Louise said she was tired, and sat thankfully still, listening to the
orchestra that played in the dining-room. After that Miss Lawrence
carried them all off to a band concert.
It was ten-thirty by the time they had finished, and all had something
more to eat--real, grown-up things to eat in a most gorgeous cafe. Miss
Lawrence wanted them to stay all night, and Winona was willing, but
Louise insisted on going back.
"If we're here to-morrow morning," she explained, "every blessed woman
that we sold things to will want to know all about us and our past
lives, and then the secret will come out. No, thank you, Miss Lawrence,
"I see by the moonlight,
'Tis past midnight,
Time pig and I were home
An hour and a half ago!"
"I being the pig, I suppose!" added Winona.
"Well, I won't keep you against your will," said Miss Lawrence, getting
up from the cafe table. "So you'd better go back to the hotel. They can
be packing up what's left of your things for you, while you change. But
what about rowing across the lake and down the river in the dark? Can
you look after them, William?"
"I should think I could!" said Billy. "Besides--I forgot to tell you,
girls, or we might have had a grand reunion--Lonny Hughes and Tom are to
meet me at the dock at about eleven, with one of the camp canoes. Tom's
Winona's brother," he explained to his aunt. "So we'll take one of the
girls in the canoe, and one of us will go in the boat, and get them home
safe as anything. For the matter of that, you can't get hurt on this
lake unless the fish should jump up and bite you," he added as they
reached the hotel, and parted to dress.
The girls hurried off their finery, and got hastily into their serge
skirts and white blouses.
"I feel like Cinderella!" said Winona as they went down in the elevator
again, only to find that, quick as they had been Billy had been quicker,
and stood, familiar-looking in his khaki, to take them away. The pottery
and linen that was left would all go into one suitcase now, so well had
they and the bellboy prospered. Billy gave them, too, the money that had
been taken in during the evening. They hurried off, after they had said
good-bye to Miss Lawrence, and made her promise to come see them at Camp
Karonya and stay a whole day.
At the last moment she pushed a bundle into Winona's hands.
"Here are your dresses, child," she said. "You looked so sweet it would
be a shame for you and Louise not to keep them. I'll make it up to
Nataly."
Winona threw her arms around Miss Lawrence's neck, and kissed her.
"Thank you, dear fairy godmother!" she said.
A more astonished pair of boys than Lonny and Tom it would have been
hard to find. It did not take long to explain matters. In a few moments
they had Winona in the canoe between Tom and Billy, while Lonny rowed
Louise in the boat. The girls held the boat and the canoe together. As
they went Louise and Winona told the tale of their day's work.
When they were done Louise pulled out the money they had made, and began
to count it.
"You have some, too, Win," she said.
"I know," said Winona, "I have what Billy gave me, that the bellboy
made. But I don't believe it's a lot."
"Better count it," counselled Tom, and Winona did. When she was through
she looked up with an awed expression.
"Nearly ten dollars more!" she announced. "Oh, Louise, there must be
some mistake! Why, if we both really have made all that, there's enough
for another three weeks' camping!"
"And orders ahead!" said Louise serenely. "It will take Marie and
Adelaide more of their time than they'll want to spare from fancy diving
and telling the birds from the wild-flowers, to make jelly and runners.
I tell you, folks, I'm going to be an Italian porch-worker from now on.
It pays. Sella da fina crock--getta da bigga price--blowa it in!"
The boys shouted. "Good for you, Louise!" they cried, and a startled
bullfrog gave a deep emotional croak at the noise, and jumped into the
water.
It was moonlight, so the trip home was pleasanter than any they had had.
They sang till they came close to Camp Karonya, where they quieted down
for fear of disturbing the sleeping girls. But they need not have
worried. Camp Karonya was improving the moonlight night by sitting
around a watch-fire, singing and telling stories. They could hear
Helen's voice lifted up in "Old Uncle Ned," with a mandolin accompanying
her that probably belonged to Edith. The boys tied the boat and the
canoe, and carried the suitcases and stretcher, so pleasingly empty,
ashore. All five walked over to where the fire gleamed, and were in the
midst of the girls before anyone had seen them come.