“How would it do if I went one way, an’ you the other?” Sadie asked.
“I reckon that would make us worse off than ever, ’cause how could we meet again? S’posen you found ’em, you wouldn’t know where I was.”
“Yes, that’s true; but we mustn’t stand here;” and this time she took the lead, Josiah following meekly behind.
If they could have arrived at the rendezvous at that very moment, they would not have found their friends.
Their hosts and Master Foss were at the appointed place very nearly in due season; and after waiting fifteen or twenty minutes, their impatience became so great that inaction was no longer possible.
“I knew jest how it would be when you brought a girl along,” Bill said angrily; “they’re allers breakin’ up a feller’s snap, an’ why she wasn’t left behind is more’n I know. If that boy from the country is so anxious to have ’em taggin’ ’round after him, let him wait till he goes home. It costs too much for us to come down here, an’ lose the best part of the day jest because of her.”
Inasmuch as Bill had not paid or offered to pay any portion of the expenses, it was unkind, to say the least, for him to make this remark; but neither Bob nor Tom appeared to take any notice of it.
Both were as eager as Bill to enjoy every moment of the visit, but did not feel that they had any right to blame their guest for the delay.
“I s’pose there are so many things to see that he don’t know how long he’s been gone,” Bob suggested. “If you an’ Tom wanter go off, I’ll stay here an’ wait for ’em; we’ll kinder split the thing up so’s you won’t lose a great deal of the sport.”
“There’s no fun if the whole crowd ain’t together,” Master Foss replied with the air of one who is determined to feel thoroughly miserable, and he seated himself in a martyr-like fashion on the edge of the board walk.