“If the truth were known, I’ll wager I don’t eat as much as either of you two,” retorted Bess. “I had only a cup of coffee and two rolls this morning.”
“You had more than two rolls,” declared Belle, “I counted them and there were at least ten.”
“What do you mean, Belle Robinson?” asked Bess, turning to her sister in bewilderment.
“Rolls on the floor, I mean,” explained Belle, “when you were going through your reducing exercises.”
Bess turned her eyes to heaven in mute appeal.
“My own sister giving me away!” she moaned. “Well, our relatives are wished on us, but thank goodness I can choose my friends.”
“Stop your scrapping, girls,” interposed Cora, “and listen to me. There isn’t any hotel in sight, and even if there were, who wants to go indoors on a day like this? Mary put up a splendid lunch before we started. What’s the matter with dining al fresco?”
“Listen to the girl!” exclaimed Belle. “What does she mean by that?”
“Sounds to me like a sleight of hand performer,” murmured Bess.
“You’re thinking of ‘presto change,’” laughed Cora. “No, my benighted sisters. To put the thing in terms that your limited intelligence can grasp, I meant that we would eat in the open air.”