e grey or the white dresses of the gentlemen;
while parasols were thrown about, and here and there a red shawl lay
upon the ground, for somebody's reclining carpet. To add to all this,
which made already a very pretty picture under the canopy of the great
trees, a boat lay moored at a little point further on; baskets and
hampers congregated with great promise in another quarter under guard of
James and one or two of his helpers; and upon it all the sunlight just
peeped through the trees, making sunny flecks upon the ground. Nobody
wanted more of it, to tell the truth; everybody's immediate business
upon reaching the place had been to throw himself down and get cool.
Daisy and Dr. Sandford were the two signal exceptions.

Nora and Ella came running up, and there was a storm of questions. "O
Daisy, isn't it beautiful!" "How came you to be so long getting here?"
"Did you have a nice ride?" "O Daisy, what are we going to do, you and
Ella, and I? Everybody else is going to do something."

"What are they going to do?" said Daisy.

"O I don't know! everything. Mr. Randolph is going out in the boat to
fish, and all the ladies are going with him--Mrs. Sandford and Mrs.
Stanfield and your mother; only Mrs. Fish isn't going; but Mr. Sandford
is. And Eloise, your cousin, is going to see about having the dinner
ready; and Theresa Stanfield is in that too; I think they have got the
most fun; but nobody is doing anything yet. It's too hot. Are you hot,
Daisy?"

"Not very."

"O Daisy," said Ella Stanfield, "couldn't _we_ fish?"

"There are so many boys--" said Daisy; "I do not believe there will be
any fishing tackle for us."

"Can you fish, Daisy?" asked the doctor, who stood near, looking after
his gun.

"No, sir. I did catch a fish once--but it was only my line caught it."

"Not your hand at the end of the line?"

"My hand was not there. The line was lying on the bank and my hook in
the water."

"Oh! that was it!"

Away went the doctor with his gun, and the boys sped off with their
fishing rods. The heat was too great for anybody else to move.
Nevertheless, what are parties of pleasure for _but_ pleasure? they must
not let the whole day slip away with nothing done but lying in the shade
of the trees. There was a little island in the lake, well wooded like
its shores. It was proposed that the ladies' fishing party should row
over to the island, and there, under another shady grove, carry on their
designs against the p