"Oh, girls, look at all the boats!" squealed Bess, dancing delightedly up and down before one of the windows. "They are so thick you can hardly see any water between them."
"The Bargain Rush is down there somewhere," said Grace, as she and Nan ran across the room to peek over Bess's shoulder. "Dad made an awful fuss about having it shipped all the way, but Walter said he didn't want to come if he couldn't have it."
"But, Grace, this is the first word you have said about the Bargain Rush," said Bess reproachfully. "And you know just how unhappy we'd be if we did not have a boat down here."
"I've heard about Lake Worth being such a beautiful harbor for the pleasure boats of the Palm Beach tourists," said Rhoda happily, "but I never imagined it was half so beautiful."
"But where is the ocean?" asked Bess, as they turned from the window and began a hurried "freshening process." "I declare, I'm all mixed up."
"The ocean is in back of us, silly," Nan informed her. "Didn't you notice the beautiful beach down there as we came along? There were people in bathing, too. Oh, don't I wish I could go in myself this very minute. Just think of it—surf bathing in February!"
"Br-r-r, stop it," commanded Bess with a shiver. "You make me chilly."
They were ready to see the sights in a surprisingly short time, and Bess noticed as they stepped out into the corridor that Nan locked the door very carefully and slipped the key into her pocket.
"You aren't worrying about those men yet, are you?" she asked.
"No-o," said Nan a little doubtfully. "But it is always just as well to be on the safe side."