Stephen looked at her more attentively.
“Have you a headache?” he asked, kindly.
“No,” said Gretel. “What made you think I had?”
“I thought you were looking a little seedy. This heat is enough to give any one a headache. My mother has had a bad one all day. Ah, here comes some iced tea; that will refresh us all. Aunt Molly knows what people like on a hot afternoon.”
“I wonder where the boys are,” remarked Molly, getting out of the hammock and preparing to take command of the tea-tray. “Jerry adores this chocolate cake.”
“Here comes one boy, at any rate,” said Stephen. “He doesn’t look very cheerful. Perhaps the heat has used him up.”
“It’s Ada’s cousin,” said Molly. “Come up here, Archie, and have some tea. Where are the others?”
“Down at the barn, amusing themselves with rabbits,” answered Archie, in a tone of extreme disgust. “I stayed as long as I could stand it. I’ve come to see if Ada isn’t ready to go home.”
“You don’t care about pets, then,” said Molly, with difficulty preserving her gravity.
“Not much. I think I’m rather too old to waste my time over rabbits. There’s a kid down there, too, and the boys are making such a silly fuss over her. I can’t stand babies.”