“No. I did it with the man who—” Here culprit Dolly looked up and caught the stern, questioning gaze of Mrs. Ebenezer Stark, and her wits fled. “With Joel, and I’m to meet him in—in Heaven—right away.”
Utter silence greeted this strange answer, part of which had been made to Miss Greatorex’s austere gesture. This signified on the lady’s part that her ward was late and hindering the meal and was so understood by the frightened girl. She looked around for Melvin to corroborate her statement but he had vanished. Having escorted her into sight of her friends he considered his duty done and disappeared.
“Dorothy! You’ve been having adventures, I see, and have got things a trifle ‘mixed.’ Best say no more now, till we all get over our dinner-crossness and then tell us the whole story. Since you are safely back no real harm is done; and, friends, shall we go in to table? The second bell has rung,” asked Mrs. Hungerford, smiling yet secretly annoyed by the delay Dorothy’s absence had caused.
The Judge had received more letters from his “Boys” and even more urgent ones. That meant cutting short their stay in every town they visited; even omitting some desirable places from their list. It had been decided that they must leave Digby on Monday, the next day but one, and they wished to utilize every moment of the time between in visiting its most attractive points.
“Now, we’ll take that ride. I was going to get Melvin to drive one small rig with the young folks and I would drive another surrey with us elders. He’s taken himself off, though, so I’ll just order a buckboard that will hold us all,” said the Judge, when they had rather hastily finished their meal.
So they did, and presently the four-seated wagon with its four horses and capable driver tooled up to the entrance and the party entered it. All but Monty Stark. Much to his mother’s annoyance and regret, that young gentleman firmly objected to the trip.
“I don’t want to go. I hate driving. I don’t care a rap for all the lighthouses or Bear Rivers in the world. I’d rather stay right here and watch the fishermen. I never had such a chance to see them so close at hand and—I—do—not want—to go.”
“Montmorency, darling! Don’t turn nasty and spoil all poor Mamma’s pleasure, don’t. I can’t see what’s the matter with you, dear? You have been positively disagreeable ever since we took that walk. Did you get too tired, lovey? Is Mamma’s baby boy ill?”
“Oh! Mamma, please! I shall be ill if you don’t quit molly-coddling me, as if I were an infant in arms.”
They were speaking apart and in low tones, so that she caught but the word “Molly” and instantly inquired: