"Linda dear, I want you to wake up," she said. "You have company."
"Yes?" replied the girl sleepily.
"You are rested, aren't you? And it's so much cooler. It's a real June day—the kind the poets write about!"
Linda sat up in bed, and blinked her eyes. Then suddenly she thought of her father. Did Aunt Emily mean he had come?
"Daddy?" she asked excitedly. "Do you mean he's here?"
Miss Carlton's smile faded; she had not meant to mislead her niece. It was cruel to disappoint her.
"No, dear. It's only Louise—with Ralph and another boy. They want you to wake up, and go on the picnic."
"Oh, I see.... But you know I didn't invite anybody, Aunt Emily."
"That's just it. You're to go with this other boy. He's Ralph's room-mate, and he's here on a visit. You will go, won't you, dear?"
"Yes, of course, if Lou wants me to. I'll get dressed right away.... And Auntie, may I have some strawberries up here, to eat after I take my shower? That's all the breakfast I'll want."