the sash just in time to get the second lot distributed over her own face
and person.

"Oh, Molly, have we hurt you?" called out Kitty, who realized first what
they had done.

"No, not a bit! I knew the minute I heard the pebbles it was you girls.
I'm awful glad to see you! Shall I get dressed and come out?"

"Yes, do!" cried Marjorie, who was hopping up and down on one foot in her
excitement. "Will it take you long to dress?"

"No, indeed; I'll be down in a jiffy. Just you wait a minute."

It might have been more than a minute, but it wasn't much more, when the
girls heard a rustling above them, and looked up to see Molly, fully
dressed, climbing out of the window.

"Oh, Molly, you'll break your neck!" cried Kitty, for Molly was already
descending by a rose trellis that was amply strong enough for a climbing
rose, but which swayed and wabbled frightfully tinder the weight of a
climbing girl.

However, Molly didn't weigh very much, and she had the scrambling ability
of a cat, so in a few seconds she was down on the ground, and embracing
the two Maynard girls both at once.

"You're perfect ducks to come over here so early! How did you get away?"

"Slid out the back door," said Marjorie; "isn't it larky to be around so
early in the morning?"

"Perfectly fine! How long are you girls going to stay?"

"Not quite a week, I think," said Kitty, and Marjorie added, "So we want
to cram all the fun we can into these few days, and so we thought we'd
begin early."

"All right," said Molly, taking her literally, "let's begin right now."

"Oh, we can't do anything now," said Marjorie, "that is, nothing in
p'ticular."

"Pooh! yes, we can! It's only about half-past five, and we don't have
breakfast till eight, do you?"

"Yes, Grandma has it at eight," said Marjorie, "but, gracious, I'll be
starved to death by that time! I'm so hungry now I don't know what to
do!"

"I'll tell you what," began Kitty, and upon her face there dawned that
rapt expression, which always appeared when she was about to propose
something ingenious.

"What?" cried Midget and Molly, both at once.

"Why," said Kitty, impressed with the greatness of her own idea, "let's
have a picnic!"

"Picnic!" cried Marjorie, "before breakfast! At half-past five in the
morning! Kit, you're crazy!"

"No, I'm not crazy," said Kitty, seriously, and Molly broke in, "Of
course she isn't! It's a grand idea!"

"But you can't have a picnic without things to eat