o life."

"Ah, the voice of the siren," called Will, over his shoulder. "Come on,
fellows, let's break up this galaxy of beauty."

The boys sauntered up to the group of girls, and sprawled upon the steps
wherever there was room.

"Where _have_ you kept yourselves all morning?" Mollie inquired, as
Frank drew a bur from her white skirt. "If you hadn't come pretty soon,
we were going over to look for you."

"Oh, just around clearing up," Frank replied, with a vague little
gesture. "If we had known how much you wanted to see us, we would have
left some things undone."

"You needn't have hurried on my account," Grace drawled. "I don't know
when I have ever felt happier than I did before you came. Oh, Roy, do
look out, you are sitting on my dress."

Roy rose with alacrity. "Gee! a fellow can't do anything around here
without getting sat on," he complained.

"It seems to me it was Grace's dress that was being sat on that time,
not you," Betty remarked, with a glint of mischief in her eyes. "I
wonder if anybody else has ever noticed," she went on, "the funny habit
all you boys have of blaming somebody else for blaming you."

"You're away too deep for me, Betty," Roy protested with a shake of his
head. "That must be a mighty funny habit."

"To change the subject," said Allen, rising and stretching his arms far
above his head, as if to make sure his muscles were still in good
condition, "who wants to share a nice little canoe with me? Your aunt
sure knew what she was doing, Mollie."

"We would all like to go, I know," said Betty, with a doubtful glance at
the fast sinking sun. "Only I am afraid it is pretty near dinner time."

"Well, I tell you what we'll do," said Frank, with sudden inspiration.
"We'll postpone our canoeing trip till to-night. There is going to be a
fine moon."

"What difference does that make?" Grace asked severely. "I think we had
better go now, and have a fire this evening."

"Oh, Grace, don't be a kill-joy," said her brother. "It is going to be
too wonderful a night to spend indoors."

"Well, if Mrs. Irving says so," she began, and they all knew it was
settled.

"Have dinner early, will you?" Roy urged, taking out his watch. "It is a
quarter past five now. Can you be ready to start by six?"

"Oh, long before," Mollie assured him, rising hurriedly, and starting
toward the house, while the others followed her example.

Then after a whispered consultation with the girls at the door, she
tu