"Why, Zebedee! How absurd! You are the youngest friend I have, much the youngest."
"But you gave a very sad and unenthusiastic 'all right' to my proposition to come by skiff. Now, didn't you?"
"But it wasn't that I didn't want to come with you," I declared.
"Perhaps not, but merely that you didn't want to leave someone else to come with me. Now fess up, honey!"
"I have nothing to fess up about."
"Well, then, why did you look so crestfallen when I put it up to you to leave the launch?" and Zebedee dug his oars in the water with some viciousness.
"I didn't mean to. I—I——"
"You what?"
"I had a reason for wanting to stay in the launch."