it. The
other girls have begun to prepare it already."

"Oh, we'd like to!" cried Bessie. "I'm awfully hungry--and I'm sure Zara
is, too."

Bessie hadn't meant to say that. But the thought of a real meal had been
too much for her.

"Hungry!" cried Wanaka. "Why, haven't you had breakfast? Did you
oversleep?"

She looked about curiously. And Bessie saw that she could not deceive
this tall, slim girl, with the wise eyes that seemed to see everything.

"We--we haven't anything to eat," she said. And suddenly she was
overcome with the thought of how hard things were going to be,
especially for Zara, and tears filled her eyes.

"You shall tell me all about it afterwards," said Wanaka, with decision.
"Just now you've got to come over with us and have something to eat,
right away. Girls, launch the canoes! We have two guests here who
haven't had any breakfast, and they're simply starving to death."

Any girls Bessie had ever known would have rushed toward her at once,
overwhelming her with questions, fussing around, and getting nothing
done. But these girls were different. They didn't talk; they did things.
In a moment, as it seemed, the canoes were in the water, and Bessie and
Zara had been taken into different boats. Then, at a word from Wanaka,
the paddles rose and dipped into the water, and with two girls paddling
each canoe, one at the stern and one at the bow, they were soon speeding
across the lake, which, at this point, was not more than a quarter of a
mile wide.

Once ashore, Wanaka said a few words to other girls who were busy about
the fire, and in less than a minute the savory odor of frying bacon and
steaming coffee rose from the fire. Zara gave a little sigh of perfect
content.

"Oh, doesn't that smell good?" she said.

Bessie smiled.

"It certainly does, and it's going to taste even better than it smells,"
she answered, happily.

They sat down, cross-legged, near the fire, and the girls of the camp,
quiet and competent, and asking them no questions, waited on them.
Bessie and Zara weren't used to that. They had always had to wait on
others, and do things for other people; no one had ever done much for
them. It was a new experience, and a delightful one. But Bessie, seeing
Wanaka's quiet eyes fixed upon her, realized that the time for
explanations would come when their meal was over.

And, sure enough, after Bessie and Zara had eaten until they could eat
no more, Wanaka came to her, gently, and