ng pool. Of course we'll do most of our swimming there. Oh,
Teddy, you ought to see my new bathing suit!" She was rattling on
rapturously when Teddy interrupted with a queer sort of question.

"Who is this Uncle Tom?" he asked, still staring straight ahead.

"Why, he's Connie's uncle, of course! The keeper of the light on
Lighthouse Island," answered Billie, as surprised as if he had asked her
who Abraham Lincoln was. "Connie says he's a darling----"

"Is he married?"

"Why no. That is, I don't think so," answered Billie, knitting her brows
in an effort to think whether Connie had ever said anything on this
point. She had never even thought to ask if "Uncle Tom" was married.
"Why, no, of course he can't be," she answered herself and Teddy at the
same time. "If he was married he wouldn't be living in that old
lighthouse all alone. And Connie said he did live there all alone. I
remember that."

She nodded her head with satisfaction, but, strangely enough, Teddy did
not seem to be satisfied at all. He just stalked along beside her in a
sort of gloomy silence while she glanced up at him now and then with a
mischievous hint of a laugh dancing about her pretty mouth.

"Teddy, where are you going?" she asked a minute later, as they reached
the sidewalk that led to her house and instead of stopping Teddy stalked
straight on. "I don't live down at the corner you know."

Teddy turned about with a sort of sheepish grin and rejoined her.

"I was just thinking," he said as they turned up the walk together.

"No wonder you went past," said Billie mischievously. Then as they paused
at the foot of the steps she looked up at him with an imp of laughter
showing all the dimples about her mouth. "What were you thinking so hard
about, Teddy?" she dared him.

"I was thinking," said Teddy, clearing his throat and looking anywhere
but at Billie, "that I wouldn't mind going down to Lighthouse Island
myself!"

Then he fled, leaving Billie to get into the house as best she could. But
Billie did not mind. She was chuckling to herself and thinking how funny
and foolish and--yes--awfully nice Teddy could be--sometimes.

CHAPTER XII

PREPARING FOR THE TRIP

Chet and Billie were at the train to meet Connie when she arrived, for it
had been decided almost without argument that Connie would spend her one
night in North Bend with the Bradleys.

Billie was in a fever of excit