“Oh, we ought to have saved some of the oranges until you came,” cried Mrs. Wales, when she saw them, “but the boys were so impatient,—and to tell the truth I’m afraid we forgot all about you.”
“Loiterers mustn’t expect to have their cake and eat it too,” said Mr. Wales, beaming benignly upon the two laggards.
Ethel looked reproachfully at Mary. “Why didn’t you wait for us?” she demanded. “We were trying to persuade that funny little boy, at the thatched cottage with the breadfruit tree in front of it, to come with us. And all at once we noticed that you were gone.”
“Yes,” said Mary. “We were sorry, but the ten we had wouldn’t wait. They were going to strike if they couldn’t move on at once. Didn’t you get the funny little one to come after all?”
“No,” said Ethel, “he positively refused. I was so hot that I had to rest for a minute, and then we came back, but not very straight.”
“Not straight at all,” corrected Dr. Eaton smilingly. “We got badly lost. You see I’d never been up there before, and when you abandoned us I got completely turned around. I’m sorry I was so stupid.”
“Oh, it didn’t matter,” said Ethel hastily. “But where are the boys? Isn’t it time to begin the orange-rolling?”
“Oh, Ethel,” exclaimed Betty in dismay. “Didn’t you understand? The boys were in a hurry, and we had it right off. It lasted a long while though, and they’ve been gone almost ten minutes.”
“But we’ll get some more boys and have another rolling just for you two,” declared Bob gallantly.