“Eat while there is anything left,” she commanded, adding with a chuckle:  “Our adventure seems to be over for to-day, at least.”

“Adventure?” repeated Frank inquiringly, as he reached for a sandwich.

“Yes,” said Mollie, adding with a sigh:  “And you boys had to come along just in time to spoil it all.”

CHAPTER XX

 Very much alive

That is complimentary, I must say,” grinned Will, getting up from his seat on the porch and going over to join Roy on the railing.  “After being away for months we are told the minute we get back that we’ve ‘spoiled everything.’ "

“’Tis rather hard lines,” said Mollie with an answering grin.  “But one must tell the truth, you know.”

“By the way,” put in Grace curiously, “I know Betty promised that we wouldn’t ask questions, but there is just one thing I want to know.”

“Speak, fair damsel,” Roy replied, thinking meanwhile how much prettier Grace had grown.  “We will promise to answer faithfully anything that is not connected with war.”

“When did you get in?” asked Grace, “and how did you get here?”

“We came in yesterday,” answered Roy, helping himself to another sandwich.  “And of course we beat it for headquarters right away.”

“Yes’m, and I’ll tell you we were a disappointed lot when we found that you girls had flown,” added Frank ruefully.  “We were all set for a jolly reunion——­”

“But we wrote you about spending the summer here,” Betty interrupted.  “And we were mourning because you couldn’t be at the lodge with us.”

“We missed your letters, I guess,” said Will.  “We sailed very suddenly, and there is probably a stack of them piled up there at the old service station.”

“We found out where you were all rightie, though,” Roy continued.  “So we took the first train out this morning, debarked at the nearest station south of here, and proceeded to walk the rest of the way.  It was thus that you came upon us.”

“You came upon us, you mean,” Amy corrected.  “We ought to know well enough, because you nearly gave us heart failure.”

Will looked at her as if he wanted to say something but did not quite dare in public.  However, she intercepted the look and with a little panicky feeling turned her eyes away.

“I imagine,” said Grace softly, looking up at Will, “that mother wasn’t glad to see you or anything.”

“Not at all,” returned Will, a soft light in his eyes as he remembered the greeting between him and his parents.  “I was a little afraid,” he added soberly, “that mother and dad wouldn’t like my skipping off like this the day after I’d got home.  But they seemed to understand all right.”

“Gee, but this is great,” said Frank, stretching contentedly and looking about the group with happy eyes.  “I wonder how many times we’ve seen this all in our dreams, fellows.  Only we couldn’t have imagined it half as perfect as this.”