Marjorie would have been only too glad to comply with the request, even though it was only a little after four, but they were within the park limits, and fires were forbidden.
“We’ll have to cross over above the hills,” she explained, “and find a spot where we are allowed to make a fire. It’s against the law here.”
“What do we want a fire for?” demanded Stella.
“To cook our supper,” responded Marjorie wearily.
“I’ve got half a dozen doughnuts and a chocolate éclair,” remarked Annie. “That ought to see me through.”
“But we must have something substantial,” protested Marjorie. “And sausages aren’t good cold.”
“Sure, we can eat ’em, anyhow!” put in Queenie more cheerfully.
“But I wanted to teach you something about making a fire in the open,” sighed Marjorie.
“Oh, that’ll keep. Let’s eat and get home!”
A sense of the futility of her effort seized Marjorie, and she resolved desperately that she would give it all up. Lily was right; she was wasting her time, when she might be doing something worth while. Far better to turn in and help her classmates in their round of social and class duties, than to strive for something she could never attain. For she felt now absolutely certain that she could never reach these girls to influence them in any way.