"Oh, fine," said Nan happily, adding as she gave him a demure glance: "Only we will drive over in the big car and take the girls along."
"What's the matter with this car?" asked Walter, turning to look at her. "I thought you liked it."
"I love it!" said Nan fervently, adding with a funny little smile that Walter did not understand: "I think on that particular trip, I would like to go in the big car."
The morning after their delightful ride about Jacksonville, they took the train for Palm Beach. They found to their disgust that Linda and her party were also on board.
"Goodness! I think Linda must be following us, too," Bess grumbled to Nan, looking blackly after their schoolmate as she walked haughtily down the car aisle. "To look at her you would think she owned the world at least. Oh, if I could only prove that it was she who damaged the heating plant up at school, wouldn't it be a wonderful chance to get even with her?"
"I don't see why you should want to waste time getting even with her," Nan remarked calmly. "We have more interesting things to occupy our time."
"That's all very well for you," grumbled Bess, still feeling cross and injured by the unexpected appearance of Linda. "But I haven't any Walter."
Nan was just about to say something unpleasant when Walter himself hailed them. Grace and Rhoda were with him and all wore smiles to match the morning.
"Come on back," the boy invited. "Dad's got chairs for the whole crowd where we can get the finest view. But he said we had better grab 'em quick, because there's no knowing how long they will last in this crowd."
So the girls followed him to the observation car and would very probably have forgotten all about Linda, had not the girl herself made that impossible.