Nan gave a sigh and reluctantly left her day-dreams. Of what importance was a common-place cousin by the side of the knightly Lohengrin? Yet she was interested enough to break the seal of her letter and to announce that Ran and his brother Ashby were coming the first of the following week.
“Good!” cried Jo. “Daniella has heard from Effie and she’ll be here with Hartley on Saturday. So we’re all right. Now there is only Dr. Paul to be heard from.”
“Mr. Wells is going to write to him to-day,” Nan told her. “He insists that Dr. Paul shall be his guest and in all probability he can persuade him.”
“So much the better, for of course we shall see them both more frequently. Your artist seems a jolly good fellow and I know he will be no end of fun when we know him better. What do you suppose he said to me?”
“What?” said Nan, feeling a moment’s bitterness.
“He said I had saved his life and that he would show his gratitude by giving a picnic in my honor, when he would be the one to supply the eatables and would I fry the bacon, please; he liked it burnt on the edges.”
Nan made no answer, for a wild feeling of jealousy completely submerged her speech.
CHAPTER XI
PICNICKING
The next week saw lively times at Camp Happiness. Effie and her brother were the first arrivals and at once became enthusiastic over the camp, the lake, the mountains and the woods. They were good friends of Daniella’s, among the very first she had made after entering Miss Barnes’s school, and during the absence of the Corners in Europe, Daniella had found the Glenns a great comfort. Effie was a nice sensible girl of sixteen; her brother Hartley, two or three years older, was devoted to outdoor sports. He was an expert swimmer, knew all about water craft and was altogether just the sort of boy to enjoy camp life.