“And did you notice,” said Rhoda, “how he pointed out the ‘American’ or the ‘Canadian’ side? They are Canadians, too. It seems funny to me, for they are in America as much as we are.”
“Yes,” said Hilary, “but the books do it. It seems to be general.”
“Look,” said Marjorie. “See how the steamer changes its course, always going in the more quiet water. I can pretty nearly tell where we’ll go. See the water tumbling over there! Big rocks, I guess.”
“Yes, and did you hear the man say what a descent there is?—I can feel the boat going down hill!”
“We are really and truly shooting the rapids,” said June with great satisfaction.
Mt. Royal, from which Montreal takes its name, could be seen long before the last rapids were reached. Everybody was invited to the front of the boat while an official talked about the rapids, the Indian village on their right, and other points of interest. Safely through the Lachine Rapids the boat glided and reached Montreal at last. Some of the girls in the crowded motor ’bus, a few in a rickety victoria, the Merrymeeting party rode to the hotel where they were to remain two nights.
CHAPTER III
VICTORIAS AND FURS
It was eleven o’clock the next morning before the girls were finally rounded up for breakfast or lunch, as they might choose to call it. For this they went to an attractive place not far from the hotel where June again found ripe strawberries, big and luscious.
“You’ll turn into a strawberry, June,” said Hilary, but June only pointed to the dishes of the same natural product on all the other trays in the cafeteria procession, as she replied, “I don’t eat so many more than the rest of you,—I just say more about it.”
“By the way, Miss West,” continued Hilary, “we’re going in victorias, aren’t we?”