“I will if you’ll all obey my orders. Well, this won’t do for me. I must go back and reason with those tea-things. I just ran over a minute because I saw you all here. If I can’t get them into the barrel I’ll have to take a cask besides. Good-by. I’ll meet you at the train. What time do we start?”
“Twelve-ten,” replied Hester Laverack. “I’ll go home with you, Helen, and help you pack your china.”
“Yes, do,” said Betty; “two heads are better than one in any barrel.”
But the two heads were already bobbing down the walk, and didn’t hear Betty’s parting shot.
“Nell’s crazy,” remarked Millicent Payne, who always did everything leisurely, yet always had it done on time. “I do hope her barrel will go safely, for her tea-cups and things are lovely.”
“Shall we have tea every afternoon?” asked Marguerite Alden, a fragile wisp of a girl who looked as if a real strong ocean breeze would blow her away. “I’m so glad! I don’t care for the tea at all, but the having it with all us girls together will be such fun, only—I do hate to wash up the tea-things.”
“Girlies,” said Mrs. Bond, “I think it would be much better all round if you’d hire a neat little maid to wash your dishes for you. You can probably find one down there, and I’m sure you’ll be glad to have help when you discover what dish-washing for eight means.”
“I think it would be heaps better, Mrs. Bond,” said Marguerite. “I don’t see how we can have any fun if we have to work all the time.”
“Lazy Daisy!” said Betty. “You won’t do any more than your share. But we won’t let the interloper do any of our cooking; I insist on that.”
“All right, Betty,” said Marguerite, or Daisy, as the girls called her, though she wished they wouldn’t; “and you may be chief cook.”