"

They both thought hard over the problem for a moment. Suddenly Phyllis
cried,--"I have it--I think! I heard Father and Ted planning to-day to be
off fishing to-night, and as many nights after as the conditions are
good. They just adore that kind of thing and have done very little of it
this time. As a rule, I don't mind a bit staying alone at the bungalow if
I don't happen to go with them. But I've never before had the excuse of
having you here to be with. It will seem perfectly natural for me to say
that, as they're to be away, I'll spend the night with you. How's that?"

"Oh, just the thing!" exclaimed Leslie, enthusiastically. "And now let's
go back and take a swim. It's fairly mild and the best time of day for
it. You left your suit at our house last time, so it's very convenient.
You won't have to walk all the way back to your place."

They strolled back to Rest Haven in a leisurely fashion and had just
turned the corner of the house and come in sight of the front veranda,
when what they saw there almost took them off their feet. On the veranda
sat Aunt Marcia, rocking comfortably back and forth, and opposite her, in
another rocker sat--could their eyes have deceived them?--who but the
redoubtable _Miss Ramsay!_

She was dressed as they had seen her in the village store, and she was
chatting, with an appearance of the greatest affability, with Miss
Marcia. The two girls stared at her in ill-concealed amazement--so
ill-concealed, in fact, that even Miss Marcia noticed it.

"Miss Ramsay and I have been getting acquainted while we waited for you
to come back," she remarked, somewhat bewildered by their speechless
consternation. "She says she made your acquaintance at Aunt Sally Blake's
in the village, where she is boarding."

"Oh--er, yes!" stuttered Phyllis, remembering her manners. "It's very
pleasant to see you here, Miss--Ramsay. I see you are acquainted with
Miss Crane. This is Miss Leslie Crane her niece."

Leslie bowed and murmured something inarticulate, but Miss Ramsay was
affable to a degree. "I drove over to your cottage first, Miss Kelvin,"
she chatted on, after her introduction, "with some eggs Aunt Sally
promised you. She was going to send them by the butcher boy, but he did
not stop this morning, so, as I was going out, I offered to take them.
But I found no one at your place, so I came on here, introduced myself to
Miss Crane, and we've been having a nice time together."

The astonishment of