Ronald took Louise home to her floating mansion, which was conveniently located on the same side of the river. Mrs. Bentley, who, if the truth were told, had been yawning for some time, as she and her husband sat forward and listened to the various harmonies, showed Suzanne and Ann to their quarters. From the deck came the strains of “Good Night, Ladies,” the college song immemorial.
The girls looked at each other with smiles as they listened, but had no way of acknowledging the message. “Isn’t this a cutey cabin, Ann?” asked Suzanne as she surveyed the little stateroom.
“Not only cutey, but ducky. I’m rather glad that my first experience is on a stationary boat. With all the fun we’ve had, and the candy we ate, I’m afraid that I’m due for dreams tonight.”
“May they be pleasant ones,” said her cousin. “I’ve had such a glorious time that mine ought to be. Jack is such a dear! Do you know that he and Maurice are both planning to get a position in the mills after they graduate? Jack told me tonight. Father has said that he will start them in, though they may not get what they want at first. I think that he and Grandmother both want Maury to learn the business from the ground up.”
“Maurice told me that he was planning to begin there, but you don’t suppose that they will handle the machinery, do you?”
“No. They would not be of much help there, I suppose, though Maurice likes that sort of thing. He was always taking everything to pieces when he was little. And till he smashed his car he had a lot of fun doing almost the same thing with that.”
Morning brought sunshine and lovely clouds drifting over from the ocean. Ann looked out upon islands of water hyacinth, floating past the yacht on their way to the sound and the sea. The tide was going out. Some of the yachts and launches were already moving, for the day, perhaps, or to other shores. It was cool enough for a wrap on deck, but Maurice told the girls that it would warm up as soon as the sun “got into action.”
It was about nine o’clock when the party left the yacht to go along the docks and across the bridge to where the little launch lazily rocked and waited for them. Louise had joined them and told Suzanne that there was a bit of pleasant news for her. “I’ll tell you when we get on the launch,—if it is necessary,” she mysteriously added.