“Knowing what a fidget Edith is I propose to make the distance several hundred feet,” said Hugh. “See here, it is plain I’ve got to have two picnics now to-morrow. At the head of the Falls I disembark my first contingent,—say the ‘Greenways’ one. I give them instructions to go straight down to the bottom of the second Fall,—they are all good climbers. When they’ve got a good start,—say twenty minutes, I call up the second contingent, the little pets and [p237] Edith’s youngsters and start them down. You will go with these as chaperone and camp at the foot of the first Fall. We must explain to Miss Bibby that your wing extends over both Falls and that she as well as the little pets are brooded beneath it. I’ve already bespoken two caddies from the links to carry the hampers, and they will have plenty of exercise going up and down the steps. As host I shall endeavour to divide myself equally between my two divisions of guests. And probably the exercise between the two tables will rid me of any superfluous flesh I may have about me.”
“Well,” laughed Kate, “it is one way out of the difficulty. I certainly should not have thought of anything myself but of postponing one party until another day.”
“No,” said Hugh complacently, “it takes the strategy of a general or a genius to fix up little things like this.”
Four breathless figures came dashing over the road and through the “Tenby” gate round to the side verandah.
“Oh, oh,” said Lynn imploringly, “you have finished your tea, haven’t you? Miss Bibby wouldn’t let us ’sturb you before.”
“We counted up to a thousand to give you time,” said Pauline, “and we could eat enough tea in a hundred and fifty—unless there were drop cakes.”
[p238]
“We’ve got to go to bed in ten minutes,” said Muffie tragically.
“We’re coming,” shouted Max, and he flourished the rhymed blue telegram that he had carried about all day.
“Did you get our answers?” cried Lynn.
“We paid for them ourselves,” said Pauline. “Miss Bibby just wanted to send one answer and say ‘All accept with pleasure’! But we just wouldn’t, and we all went to the post and we told the woman just what to put, and it would have been a lot better only we didn’t have much time to think, only while we walked up the hill, and Lynn did the most, ’cause she can always think of the rhymingest words, and we’d have made them much longer only we could only afford ninepence each, and we had to lend Max threepence, ’cause he’d only got sixpence left.”