Roy rose with alacrity. "Gee! a fellow can't do anything around here without getting sat on," he complained.
"It seems to me it was Grace's dress that was being sat on that time, not you," Betty remarked, with a glint of mischief in her eyes. "I wonder if anybody else has ever noticed," she went on, "the funny habit all you boys have of blaming somebody else for blaming you."
"You're away too deep for me, Betty," Roy protested with a shake of his head. "That must be a mighty funny habit."
"To change the subject," said Allen, rising and stretching his arms far above his head, as if to make sure his muscles were still in good condition, "who wants to share a nice little canoe with me? Your aunt sure knew what she was doing, Mollie."
"We would all like to go, I know," said Betty, with a doubtful glance at the fast sinking sun. "Only I am afraid it is pretty near dinner time."
"Well, I tell you what we'll do," said Frank, with sudden inspiration. "We'll postpone our canoeing trip till to-night. There is going to be a fine moon."
"What difference does that make?" Grace asked severely. "I think we had better go now, and have a fire this evening."
"Oh, Grace, don't be a kill-joy," said her brother. "It is going to be too wonderful a night to spend indoors."
"Well, if Mrs. Irving says so," she began, and they all knew it was settled.
"Have dinner early, will you?" Roy urged, taking out his watch. "It is a quarter past five now. Can you be ready to start by six?"