“I wonder?” sighed the girl of the Red Mill, in no responsive mood.
She had something very unpleasant before her that she felt she must do, and nothing could raise her spirits. She did not speak to anybody about the hermit’s scenario. She waited for Mr. Hammond to express his opinion of it.
At the camp she found a letter for her from the doctor’s wife who had promised to keep her informed regarding Arabella Montague Fitzmaurice Pike. That young person was doing well and getting fat at the Perkins’ farm. But Mrs. Holmes was quite sure that she had not heard from her father.
“You’ve got another half-orphan on your hands, Ruth,” said Helen. She made it a point always to object to Ruth’s charities. “I don’t believe that man will ever show up again. If he went away with a medicine show——”
“No, no,” said Ruth firmly. “No child would ever respect and love her father as Bella does if he was not good to her. He will turn up.”
Just then Tom called from outside the door of the girls’ shack.
“What say to a moonlight dip off the Point?” he asked. “The tide is not very low. And I missed my splash this morning.”
“We’re with you, Tommy,” responded his sister. “Wait till we get into bathing suits.”
Even Ruth was enthusiastic—to a degree—over this. In twenty minutes they were running up the beach with Tom and Henri toward the end of the Point.
“Let’s go over and get the surf,” suggested Jennie. “I do love surf bathing. All you have to do is to bob up and down in one place.”