“You were only a kid then,” said Geraldine. “A kid might do anything silly. You may think you’re a coward, and perhaps you aren’t very brave in little things, but if anything really big ever happened, and you had to show courage, I am perfectly certain you’d be all right. Here comes the express wagon with our trunks. I’m so glad, for now we shall be able to change our dresses before dinner.”
CHAPTER VI
AT THE CHESTERS’
The Chester family were all gathered on the broad piazza when Gretel and Geraldine came down-stairs dressed for dinner. Jerry had also reappeared and was deeply absorbed in conversation with Paul and Frank on the subject of various kinds of fish bait. Molly was the eldest of the four children, the boys came next, and the youngest, Daisy, was a pretty golden-haired child of five, who, at the present moment, was comfortably settled on her father’s knee, listening entranced to a story about a princess and a dwarf.
“Father always tells her a story before bedtime,” Molly told her friends. “I’m afraid we all spoil her dreadfully, but she is so much younger than the rest of us, and it was such a joy to have a baby in the house again.”
“I am glad her name is Daisy,” said Geraldine. “When I was little my two great unfulfilled desires were that my name should be Daisy, and that I should have golden curls. I hope your little sister will make friends with me; I adore babies.”
“Oh, she will, never fear. You may find her altogether too friendly before you have been here many days. Her real name is Margaret. She was named for a sister of Mother’s, who died when she was a young girl, but she was always called Daisy, so our baby is Daisy, too.”
At that moment the story came to an end, and Miss Daisy was sent off to bed, much against her will, and then dinner was announced, and they all rose to go indoors, Mrs. Chester remarking that there was no use in waiting for Stephen, as just as likely as not he might not be able to get off at all.
“He did get off, though, for here he comes,” said Molly, as the sound of an approaching automobile fell upon their ears, and in another moment a small two-seated car had turned in at the gate.
Molly had talked so much about this cousin of hers that it was not surprising that Gretel and Geraldine both felt considerable curiosity about him. Indeed, Geraldine had privately informed Gretel while they were dressing for dinner that she was quite prepared to be disappointed in him, because people one heard so much about generally did prove disappointing. But when the tall young ensign sprang from the car, and came bounding up the steps, even Geraldine was forced to admit that Molly had not said too much in his favor. He certainly was one of the handsomest, most distinguished-looking young men she had ever seen.