ke to have her
do so as soon as the dinner was over.

"Then I will be excused," she said, "although I hope you won't hurry."

"Don't be alarmed," said Walter. "It's very bad to eat in a hurry."

"I'll serve," proposed Bess, "I know just how much everyone has had,
and how much more they _ought_ to have. Dray, you cannot have another
bit of pudding."

Dray was stretching far out for the dish. He did love apple slump. And
Mrs. Lewis knew just the right amount of cinnamon to season with.

A hush followed Cora's entrance to the living room. Not a single word
or exclamation escaped through the Summer hangings that hid the narrow
door.

"Do you think it's a conspiracy?" remarked Walter. "I'm glad we had
dinner first. I had no idea that a hurricane went straight to the
hunger zone like that."

"You would be a star to go up North," commented Ed. "Just fancy
carrying stuff in your pockets and starving because the exact latitude
for grub had not been reached--wow!"

"I would insist upon being made chairman of the latitude committee,"
replied Walter, "and my moves would be swift and certain."

The door opened and Freda entered. She was not exactly all smiles, but
the serious look on her face was not deep enough to cause comment.

"I came to fetch your coffee," she announced, cheerfully. "You must
think we are planning to dynamite something," she added.

"Oh, worse than that," replied Dray, getting one more spoonful of
slump on the sly. "We thought you were taking a negative vote on the
coffee. Nerves, at night, you know."

"Let me help you," insisted Belle. "I am almost stiff from sitting, or
maybe it is from the way I _wasn't_ sitting in the bottom of the
boat."

"Very likely," affirmed Jack. "I would not be surprised if we had to
come around in the morning with nippers to get the kinks out. I see
one forming, right now, in Lottie's cheek."

"We will be stiff, I am sure," added Bess, "although our muscles ought
to be in good form."

"When you have finished," Freda whispered to Belle, "we want to give
Denny something."

"Of course," Belle replied. "How selfish we are, sitting here
'gabbing,' and neither you nor your mother has had supper yet. I'll
serve coffee at once."

"Don't hurry," Freda said. "We have time enough."

Everyone, however, seemed to guess at once that they should make room
for the next "table," and the coffee was swallowed, hastily.

"What is it?" Lottie ventured to ask Freda. "We are just