et, this instant! See
she's standing up now. I know her by the broad white flannel collar on
her blue dress. Now they are coming down to the beach. She did row over
for something and sat down to talk, and forgot us. What crazy lunatics
we were to let her go off with the boat!"

"Cricket hasn't forgotten anything serious since she forgot mamma's
invitation last spring. You see, she never thought about the tide going
out, and meant to come back and get us later. It takes so long to get
used to the tide. I do wish it would settle upon some time of day, and
keep to it. Don't you? It's a great nuisance."

"I guess I do," replied Edna, with inelegant emphasis. "If I had my way,
the tide shouldn't go out but once a day, and that's at night. These
ugly old mud-flats that have to be seen some time during every day are
the one thing that spoil Marbury. It's so pretty when the bay is full.
But, Eunice, we've got to make up our minds to stay here and broil, this
whole afternoon. Even if Cricket should start this minute, she couldn't
get here. Do you see that broad, smooth place, with the water rippling a
little on each side? That means that there is a mud-flat there, and it
will be bare in about ten minutes. Oh, goodness gracious me! enchanting
prospect!" and Edna plumped herself down on the rock in despair.

"It's no worse really than many a time when we've been over here and
staid five or six hours and meant to," said Eunice, philosophically,
"only we never happened to be caught and obliged to stay. And it might
be worse," she added, cheerfully. "We have luncheon, for one thing. You
know we stayed here all day, once."

"But then we _expected_ to," said Edna, looking very unresigned. "We
had made up our minds to."

"Very well, then," said Eunice, brightly, "let us make up our minds to
stay, now. Let's play we want to, and meant to all the time. We'll eat
our luncheon, and then you can embroider and I'll read to you some more.
Or let's go on playing that we're shipwrecked, and that Cricket has gone
back with a raft to the ship, to bring some things back. Of course, that
would take all day."

"If the ship was burned," objected Edna, "there wouldn't be any wreck to
bring things from."

"We'll play it rained and put out the fire," returned Eunice,
imperturbably. "Plenty of ways to fix it. Wasn't it fortunate we rescued
your work and my book from the wreck," she went on, changing her tone.
"And don't let's stay here and bake in