Alice asked a great many questions. She wished to know how long they had been there, how long they were going to stay, and why they had not been to see her.
It was easy to answer the first question and the second answered itself, because school began the next Monday and the printing-press started work again, but the third question was not so easy.
“We did not know where your house was,” said Lucy at last.
“You could have asked,” said Alice. “There are no girls my age anywhere near me. I have had nobody to play with all summer but babies and boys. The babies are very well for a time, but they can’t do much but dig holes in the sand, and I don’t like the boys at all. They do horrible things, like putting crabs in shoes and dead fish in playhouses.”
“Girls are nicer to play with,” said Lucy. “Would you like to make a pebble house, Alice, or would you like to wade?”
“I would like to go into your tent,” said Alice eagerly.
The children took Alice up to the tent, which she admired very much. “What fun it must be!” she said. “I wish I could sleep here with you just one night.”
Lucy and Dora began to wonder if this could be planned. It did not seem easy, for there was not room for another cot, even if there were one to bring from the house. It would be hard to find space for even a doll’s bed. As it was, Lucy’s doll had to sleep with her. Dora’s Teddy wore a fur coat and he sat up all night. It would not be polite to ask Olive to give Lucy her cot, and there was no place for her to sleep if she did. There seemed no way to make Alice’s wish come true.
When the children came out of the tent, they saw Mrs. Merrill on the porch with her hat on and a coat over her arm.
“Goody!” said Alice. “Mother was going to ask your mother if she didn’t want to go over to the Port in the motor-boat. We are going, too.”