“Oh! that will be fine. I do love strawberries,” declared Dot, easily appeased.
Tess was more troubled than her sister by this strange situation. She felt, somehow, as though the big girl were holding them prisoners. Yet she could not understand why.
She got up from the ground and at once Tom Jonah started up, barking and bounding about.
“Stop that dog!” exclaimed the big girl, crossly. “Make him walk beside you. I’ll tie him up,” she threatened.
“Then he’ll howl awful,” cried Dot. “We tried that once at home. Don’t you ’member, Tess?”
“Well, you keep him still,” snapped the big girl.
At a word from Tess the old dog drooped his tail and fell in behind them, in a most subdued manner. They went up through the thick woods to the higher part of the island. At no point could the little procession have been seen from the water.
There was a hillock up there, bare of trees, the southern side of which was sown thickly with strawberries. The bed was rich in berries, and how sweet and delicate was their flavor!
“Oh, so much nicer than boughten berries!” Tess declared, forgetting for the time all her anxiety.
Indeed, both of the Corner House girls were so busy satisfying their appetites with strawberries that they forgot about the unpleasant side to their adventure. Nor did they see the girl who had helped them ashore from the boat, creep over the knoll to watch the motorboat and its tow going down the river again, by way of the northern channel.