“That’s the idea. You get on quickly for a girl, Sid. Come on, now, we’ll pull the dory round to the starboard side.”
Sidney caught herself tiptoeing across the deck of the Arabella. In her excitement she scarcely breathed. Every move, every act, was fraught with significance. Lavender took the precaution to beach the dory at an abandoned wharf near Sunset Lane.
“Just as well not to show ourselves ’round Rockman’s.”
“When can we go out to the Arabella?”
“Not ’till four o’clock. We can go out to swim just like we always do. Even if they see us they won’t think it’s funny for us to do that. They’d think it funnier if we didn’t.”
Sidney admitted the truth of this, but wondered how she could live until four o’clock!
As they walked up Sunset Lane Sidney reminded Lavender that, because of their promise, they ought to tell Mart. But when they stopped at the Calkins’ house they found that Mart had already gone to Gert Bartow’s.
“Oh, dear,” sighed Sidney, with an added pang of remorse.
At four o’clock Sidney and Lavender went out to the Arabella to swim as they had done always before Pola’s coming. Except for a brightness in Sidney’s eyes, an alertness about her whole body, and the occasional significant glances that passed between them they both appeared quite normal. Lav talked casually of the heat of the day.
“Gee, the water’ll feel great. This is the hottest day we’ve had yet.”