“I know that you think I am an incurable romantic and that I see him in a sort of glamour. I don’t. I have been with him a lot and we have had long talks. I love him terribly, but I realize he has the usual quota of faults. What he needs is a steady hand on the reins and, Jack, you know my hand is fairly reliable. You respect my judgment of horses, why won’t you respect my judgment of husbands? Of course, what you have said, what you will say, can’t affect me in the least, but I do wish you would wish me happiness and say that you will try to like Breck,” finished Jane.
Jack sat silent for a while, his head in his cupped hands, finally he said, “Forgive me. I was a rotter to say what I did about Breck’s being a deck hand. I will like him and try to make him like me. You are a great little sister and Breck is a mighty lucky man.”
A victory so far, thought Jane, and decided to spare Jack the Hurricane Island project till Fred came. “You are rather a darling, Jack,” she said, “and I think Ellen will be a splendid swimmer soon. Run along down to her now and help her with that scissors kick.”
CHAPTER XIII
JACK’S AFTER-SUPPER SPEECH
After the swim, Jane had had a long conversation with Mr. Wing, with the result that a place was set for Breck at the table in the saloon. Purple wildflowers, picked on the island and thrust into a low bowl, stood in the center of the table and gave a gala air to the saloon. Ellen had arranged them and said to Mabel that she had not realized how much she missed flowers till she saw these.
Jane and Breck watched for Frederick Gray on deck, both of them feeling shy and self-conscious. Finally, his dory slid up alongside the “Boojum” and the boy, in immaculate white ducks, was soon standing beside his new friends.
“Everybody is down in the saloon. Let’s go down and get the introductions over,” Jane said, leading the way.
Frederick Gray had been looking forward all day to the little supper party. Breck and Jane had delighted him with their warm friendliness in the morning and he was anxious to see if their friends were as charming as they were. It was a rare treat to the boy to mix with his own kind. His father could find little time to spare to his son, so engrossed was he in his inventions, and the younger children, of course, kept his mother very busy. She did all the work, as the isolation of Hurricane Island made the servant question impossible. Since his sister’s departure for Columbia, he had been far lonelier than he cared to admit. In fact, he had not realized how alone he was till he saw this group of natural, kindly people.