Early next morning the sunshine streamed into Marion’s room and awoke her with the promise of a happy day. She rose and dressed quickly and was down the first, looking delightfully cool and fresh in a white coat and skirt. She busied herself with packing the hamper, and as she set to work down came Jane, resplendent in blue. She got out the tomatoes, sliced them quickly and arranged them in layers in a large jam pot, sprinkling oil, vinegar, chopped parsley and onion in between. Then she tied a new jam cover over, and put her chef d’œuvre carefully in the hamper.
“You two busy bees make me feel so disgracefully lazy,” cried Ada as she ran in a few minutes later. “I quite intended to be the first to-day. I will get you some breakfast to make amends,” so saying she quickly laid the table in the sitting-room, and made the tea. As soon as the hamper was packed, they sat down to a hasty meal. As they were finishing there was a ring at the bell.
“I declare I had forgotten all about the post!” cried Jane. “A letter without a stamp, I suppose. I hear Abigail speaking to him.”
But it was not the post, for the door opened, and Mr. Tom Scott was shown in.
“I hope you will excuse me, Miss Thomas,” he said to Marion as he shook hands and was introduced to the other two. “I was so afraid that you might find the hamper with the crockery too heavy to carry, and my sister said she thought I might venture to call and see if I could be of any assistance.”
“We are just coming,” said Marion, smiling. “Thank you; I don’t think we should have found the hamper too heavy.”
Ada and Jane disappeared to make the final preparations; Marion picked up her hat from off the little side-table and pinned it on, listening to Mr. Scott as he discussed the day’s proceedings. Soon Jane came back bearing the hamper in triumph, of which Mr. Scott immediately took possession, and so the party set out.
On the way they called for the strawberries as arranged. They got to the station just in time to meet Mrs. Holden and her husband, who had just arrived, having taken the next train after Tom Scott. They had only a few minutes to wait for the Richmond train. Marion was just going to get the tickets for her party, but she was prevented by her friend Madge, who explained that the railway-tickets represented her husband’s share of the entertainment and the boat her brother’s, so it was no good protesting. So, as Jane afterwards described it (with a sigh of content at the recollection), “they went to Twickenham like dukes and duchesses in first-class carriages,” adding sagely, “Being a working woman has one great advantage, for one certainly knows how to appreciate the good things of existence when they fall to one’s share.”
The day was glorious; a deep blue sky scarcely flecked with clouds, brilliant sunshine, not a breath of wind. The train was very full, and there were many other merry parties besides their own. Everyone seemed taking a holiday. At Richmond they had to run quickly over the bridge for the Twickenham train, which they just managed to catch; as they caught a glimpse of the river and saw how crowded and covered with boats it was just there, they all felt glad that they had arranged to start a little higher up, where they would have more space. At Twickenham they got out and walked through the hot streets of the quaint old town to the water’s edge, where under the trees the boat was ready for them.
So they all got in—Mr. Holden and Tom Scott rowing, Jane and Ada comfortably reclining in the bow, Mrs. Holden and Marion in the stern. The boat glided gently along. Marion had never seen this part of the river before, as she had had little leisure for pleasure parties since she came to live in town, and she was delighted with the beauty of the scene. Tom Scott showed her Pope’s Villa and other places of interest. In spite of the heat, Jane seemed blessed with a superabundance of energy, and after a time she took Mr. Holden’s oar and rowed so well that he declared himself surpassed. Now they neared the towers of Hampton Court, and finding a suitable little island shaded by willows, they moored to a tree and prepared for lunch, for which they all had excellent appetites.