“And Sarah Manning is in training at the Presbyterian Hospital; we will certainly look her up and get her to come to dinner if she can get any time off,” suggested Jane.
“I want to get something for the ship’s library,” said Charlie, “and I think Carroll’s ‘Hunting of the Snark’ would be in order. It will help to comfort me during the first three or four days out. You know I’m nobody’s able seaman. My last year at college a bunch of us raced a yacht down to Bermuda and I want to say that, for three days, I wasn’t anything but in the way.” And poor Charlie winced at the unhappy memory.
“But that was one of those narrow little racing types,” soothed Ellen, “and Mabel says her father’s is a regular cruising boat and awfully comfortable.”
“Anyway, my beamish boy, I’ll stick by you and play ‘Heave-ho, my hearties’ on the trusty banjo while you lean o’er the rail,” Jack grinned.
“You boys are rather horrid,” said Aunt Min from behind her magazine. “And, by the way, I expect to be taken to the theatre every night, so don’t make too many plans.”
“Tickled to death to take you to any musical comedy you pick and to any roof garden afterwards,” said Jack. “You know, nothing really good runs in New York in the summer months.”
“And I suspect that you are not at all sorry,” teased Aunt Min.
“Speaking of plays, that reminds me that Betty Wyndham is at Provincetown with the Provincetown Players for the summer getting ready for next winter. She got them to take her on this spring. I know we will go to Plymouth and if we are that near we just can’t help going to see Betty,” said Ellen, planning happily.
“So we will really see all of our friends by hook or crook during the summer.” Then Jane yawned and announced that she was going to crawl into her berth and go to sleep.
When New York was finally reached, it took two taxis to deposit the travelers at their hotel. There the little party separated, Aunt Min going to her room to rest, the boys going out to “see the town,” and Ellen and Jane going to do their shopping.