Her husband was down in the cabin, talking to Captain Crane and Cousin Jasper. The cook was getting things ready for supper, one of the men was steering, and another was looking after the engine. Nan and Bert were up in the bow of the boat, watching the waves and an occasional seagull flying about, and Flossie was with her mother. The only one of her family Mrs. Bobbsey did not know about was Freddie.
“It happened this way,” said Flossie. “I was playing up here with my rubber doll, making believe she was a princess, and I was putting a gold and diamond dress on her, when Freddie came up with a lot of string. I asked him what he was going to do, and he said he was going to fish, and he asked me if I had a piece of cookie.”
“What did he want of a piece of cookie?” asked Mrs. Bobbsey.
“He wanted it to fasten on his line for bait for the fishes, he said,” went on Flossie. “But I didn’t have any cookie. I did have some before that, and so did Freddie. The cook gave them to us, but I did eat all my piece up and so did Freddie. So I didn’t have any for his fishline.”
“Then what happened?” asked Mrs. Bobbsey, as she started down the companionway to look for Freddie.
“Well, Freddie asked me to go and get some more cookie from the cook, and I did, ’cause I was hungry and I wanted to eat more. But I couldn’t find the cook, and when I came back upstairs again, and outdoors—here on deck, I mean—I saw Freddie grab up my doll, and run down the other stairs.”
“Oh, well, maybe he only took it in fun,” said Mrs. Bobbsey, and she was not at all worried now, feeling sure Freddie was safe, though he might be in some sort of mischief.
“Anyhow he took my doll,” Flossie went on. “And he wouldn’t bring her back to me when I told him to. Then I—I cried.”
“Yes, I heard you,” said her mother. “But you mustn’t be such a baby, Flossie. Of course it wasn’t right for Freddie to take your doll, but you shouldn’t have cried about a little thing like that. I’ll tell him he mustn’t plague you.”
“But, Mother! he was going to throw my doll into the ocean, I’m sure he was.”