er decide to
laze around in Paradise with me."

But Helen only laughed at Roberta's caution and went on, whereat Roberta
Lewis was very nearly the only Harding girl who was not drenched to the
skin before Mountain Day was over.

The riding-party galloped through the town and stopped at the edge of
the meadows for consultation.

"Let's go by the bridge and come back by the ferry," suggested Madeline.
"Then we shall have the prettiest part of the ride saved for sunset."

"And you'll have a better road both ways, miss," put in the groom
practically.

So the party crossed the long toll-bridge, the horses stepping
hesitatingly and curveting a little at the swish of the noisy water,
climbed the sunny hills beyond, and dipped down to a level stretch of
wood, in the heart of which they chose a picnic-ground by the side of a
merry little brook.

"We must have a fire," announced Bob, who had fallen behind the
procession, and now came up at the trot, just as the others were
dismounting.

"But we haven't anything to cook," objected Eleanor.

"Coffee," grinned Bob jubilantly. "I've got folding cups stuffed around
under my sweater, and I stopped at that farmhouse back by the fork in
the road to get a pail."

"And there are marshmallows to toast," added Babe. "That's what I've
got in my sweater."

"I thought you two young ladies had grown awful stout on a sudden,"
chuckled the groom, beginning to pile up twigs under an overhanging
ledge of rock.

"And here are some perfectly elegant mushrooms," declared Madeline, who
had been poking about among the fallen leaves. "We can use the pail for
those first, and have the coffee with dessert."

All the girls had brought sandwiches, stuffed eggs, cakes, and fruit, so
that, with the extras, the picnic was "truly elegant," as Babe put it.
They sang songs while they waited for the coffee to boil, and toasted
Babe's marshmallows, two at a time, on forked sticks, voting Babe a
trump to have thought of them.

Then they lay on the green turf by the brook, talking softly to the
babbling accompaniment of its music.

Finally Eleanor shivered and sat up. "Where is the sun?" she asked.
"Oughtn't we to be starting?"

[Illustration: "HERE ARE SOME PERFECTLY ELEGANT MUSHROOMS"]

The sky was not dark or threatening, only a bit gray and dull. The groom
was to stay with the novices--Christy, Babe and Betty--who, as soon as
the rest had mounted, raced down the road to get warm and also to re