"Well, I'll tell you what," and golden-haired Dolly settled the question; "we'll eat our luncheon now, as it's all ready, and then, if you like, you can cook your fish afterward."
"That suits me," said Bob, "and I'm free to confess that I can't wait another minute to attack this Ladies'-Own-Cooking-School Lay Out! Take seats, everybody— I mean you girls sit down, and us chaps will wait on you."
"All right," laughed Dolly; "we resign in your favour. I can tell you girls get hungry, too."
So the girls sat around, and the boys quickly passed plates and napkins and then the dishes of delicious food.
Then they served themselves, and sitting down by the girls, rapidly demolished the contents of their well-filled plates.
"I'm not going to rub it in," said Dolly, dimpling with smiles, "but for boys who don't want girls along on their picnics you seem to enjoy our society fairly well."
"It isn't our society they're enjoying," said Nellie North; "it's our stuffed eggs and cold chicken."
"It's both, adorable damsels," declared Bob. "Just let us appease our hunger, and goodness knows you've enough stuff here for a regiment, and then we'll show you how we appreciate the blessing of your society. We'll entertain you any way you choose."
"That we will," agreed Guy. "We'll give you a circus performance, a concert, lecture, or song and dance, as you decree."
But it took a long time to satisfy the boys' appetites. It seemed as if they could never get enough of the various delicacies, and though they pretended to make fun of what they called the fiddly-faddly frills, they thoroughly relished the good things.