"A picnic!" He seemed surprised at the suggestion.
She laughed a little. "Do you never go for picnics? I do—all by myself sometimes. It's rather fun, you know."
"By yourself?" said Jeff.
She rose from her perch. "It's more fun with someone certainly," she said.
Jeff's face reflected her smile for an instant. "All right," he said. "I'll take a holiday for once. But come home now and have some breakfast."
She stepped down beside him. "It's nice of you to give me the very first thing I ask for," she said. "Will you do something else for me?"
"Yes," said Jeff.
"Then will you call me Dot?" she said. "It was the pet name my mother gave me. No one has used it since she died."
"Dot," repeated Jeff. "You really want me to call you that?"