Miss Robbins was one of those rare young women who always did what was proposed for her, and she now promptly agreed to go to the cottage, and there await Walter and his car.
As they entered the little parlor Bess drew Cora aside and demanded:
"How ever did Walter find out that she"d just love to go to the Berkshires? And he wants to know if she is _homely_ enough to be our chaperon," she added, with a laugh.
"She is," replied Jack"s sister promptly, and in a tone of voice remarkably decisive for Cora, considering.
"But she"s nice," objected Bess.
"Very," confirmed Cora, "and we should conform to the rules--homely, experienced and wise."
"She"s a lot of those," went on Bess, who seemed taken with the idea of going to the hills with Miss Robbins as chaperon. "Besides, I like her."
"That"s a lot more," said Cora, with a laugh. "I like her, too. It seems to me almost providential. We are going to the Berkshires, she wants to go, we can"t get a mother to take us, so a young doctor ought to be the----"
"Very thing," finished Bess, and she joined the others indoors.
"But here is Walter back. How quickly he got around! Looks as if Walter is very keen on time--this time," and the tooting of the auto horn outside drew them to the door.
"Walter"s privilege," whispered Cora, just as Miss Robbins hurried to the steps.
"Isn"t this splendid," said the stranger, with polite grat.i.tude.
"One would not mind getting shipwrecked often for an auto ride. And such an evening! or night, I suppose it is now."
"I"ll go along," said Cora, realizing that she ought to do so.
"Me, too," said Jack, thinking he should go with Cora.
Bess and Belle would then be alone with Ed. Of course, Nettie was about, and they might sit on the porch until the others returned. Jack jumped in with Walter, while Cora and Miss Robbins took the second seat. The car was not Walter"s runabout, but a larger machine from the garage.
"I"ll have to come down in the morning for my boat," said Miss Robbins.
"We"ve been living on soft clams lately, and I have to go out quite a way to dig them."
"Do you dig them?" asked Cora.
"Of course, why not? It is muddy and dirty, but it"s lots cheaper than buying them, and then we are sure they are fresh."
"I"ll go up in the boat when I fetch the robe back," said Walter, who, it was plain to be seen, liked the excuse to visit the bungalow on the rocks. "What time do you clam?"
"Well, I have to call at the fresh-air camp tomorrow. I"ll be back about eleven, and can then get some dug in time for lunch."
"We are bungalowing," spoke Jack. "Why can"t we clam, Wallie?"
Walter poked his free elbow into Jack"s ribs.
"You can, of course, what"s to prevent you," and he gave him such another hard jab that Jack grabbed the elbow. "But I wouldn"t start tomorrow--it"s unlucky to clam on Wednesday," finished Walter.
The girls were too busy talking to notice the boys" conversation, if the pokes and exclamations might be cla.s.sified as such.
"Don"t you ever sink?" called back Jack to Miss Robbins.
"Oh my, no! I can tell all the safe and unsafe places." And she laughed merrily.
"It is late for us to bring you home," said Cora. "I hope your mother won"t be frightened at your absence."
"Oh, no, mother has absolute confidence in me," replied Miss Robbins.
"You see, mother and I are chums. We built the bungalow."
"Built it?" echoed Cora.
"Yes, indeed. You must come around in daylight and inspect it.
Poverty may not be a blessing, but it is a pace-setter."
Walter felt this was the very kind of a girl he had dreamed of. She might not be pretty, but when she tossed the bath robe out to him as he was virtually washed up at her door, tossed it out while she ran to get her own wraps to join him in the rescue, he felt instantly that this girl was a "find." Then, when she spoke of going to the Berkshires, he was further convinced, and now, when she told of building a bungalow--what an acquisition such a woman would be!
"Aren"t you afraid in the bungalow--just you and your mother in this lonely place?" asked Cora, as they drew up to the territory that outlined a camping ground.
"Well we never have been afraid," replied Miss Robbins, "as I am pretty good with a revolver, but there seems to be some tramps around here lately. One visited us this morning before breakfast, and mother remarked he was not at all a pleasant sort of customer."
"We had something like a similar call," said Cora, "only the man didn"t ring the bell--he crawled around the house."
"Mercy! Why didn"t the boys chase him?"
"They did, but he was beyond chase when they arrived. That"s the one thing uncertain about boys--their presence when one wants them," and Cora stepped out of the machine to allow Miss Robbins room to pa.s.s.
"There"s a light in the window," remarked Jack, as he, too, alighted from the machine.
"And there"s mother! Mother, come out a minute," called Miss Robbins.
"I want to----"
"Daughter!" exclaimed the woman at the little door. "I am almost frightened to death. What happened? Where"s your boat?"
"Why! you frightened, mother? About me?"
"Well, I suppose I should not have been," and the lady smiled as she stepped within range of the auto lamps. "But that horrid tramp. He came again!"
"He did! How long ago?"
"Just as you left. I cannot imagine why he should sneak around here at this hour. He could not have wanted food."
There was no time for introductions. The excitement of Mrs. Robbins precluded any such formality. All talked just as if they had been well acquainted.
"We could tell the town officers," suggested Walter. "It is not safe for women to be alone away up here."
"He wanted to hire a boat, Regina," said the mother, "just as if he could not get one handy at the pier."
"Shall we hunt for you?" asked Jack. "We are professional burglar hunters--do it "most every evening."