Aunt Mercy sniffed her contempt. “No victuals since yesterday noon,” she repeated, “and now he says it doesn’t matter! Faith, why don’t you tell Susan to hurry dinner instead of sitting there with your mouth open and your eyes like saucers? And you’d better tell her to cook two or three slices of ham—”
There was an involuntary groan from Bee.
“What’s the matter?” asked Aunt Mercy.
“N-nothing, ma’am. Could I have another drink of water?”
“Hm; maybe she’d better not cook the ham,” said Aunt Mercy as she watched Bee hurry toward the big silver pitcher. “Tell her to cut some of the cold beef.” And when Faith had hurried out to the kitchen, “Now, I hope, you’ve all had enough of camping out,” she continued. “If you all insist on getting yourselves drowned, why, you can do it right here in the cove. I guess the water’s deep enough there.”
Hal looked doubtful, but Bee declared stoutly that they were having a dandy time and weren’t thinking yet of leaving the island. When Aunt Mercy appealed to Jack the latter disclaimed all responsibility. “You see, Aunt Mercy,” he said with a smile, “I’m hired out to Bee for a week, and I have to do just as he says.”
Aunt Mercy said “Hmph!” again and declared that she washed her hands of the “whole kit and kaboodle” of them. Whereupon she too departed for the kitchen to see about dinner.
“What’s a ‘kit and kaboodle’?” asked Bee anxiously.
“I don’t know,” answered Jack, “but it’s something Aunt Mercy’s acquainted with. Don’t worry, though; she isn’t really angry; that’s just her way. Wait until you see the dinner she’ll give us!”
They waited and they saw. It was a wonderful repast. Bee and Hal still talk of that dinner with enthusiasm. They each declare that it was the best they ever ate. There was picked-up codfish and cold roast-beef and baked potatoes and string beans and crab-apple jelly and much home-made bread, still warm from the oven, and big bowls of blueberries and many, many slices of spice cake. And they ate it all and finished up with a pan of chocolate fudge that Faith had made the evening before. It was really worth while being nearly starved to have such appetites as they had and be able to satisfy them!