“Mother’s all right,” said Billy, “only Father thought best for her not to try to come, and sent me for you girls—Hello! I see you’ve been gathering wild flowers.”
He had spied the flowers that Jack and Bet had let them gather.
“Gee! aren’t they beauties! Did you find them near here? I don’t wonder you forgot your lunch!”
“Oh, Billy—that reminds me—I’m awfully hungry!” Mary Frances said, “and I imagine Eleanor is, too.”
“I’m—I am hungry,” Eleanor spoke as in a dream.
“Well, then, since there are no fairies to bring the lunch baskets to us, let’s go to the lunch baskets,” said Billy, picking up the bunches of flowers and leading the way.
“You’ll need a pail to put these flowers in water,” he said.
When he spoke of fairies, Mary Frances put her fingers to her lips. Eleanor smiled and nodded.
“Let’s spread supper!” said Billy.