“Well, but nobody has answered my question,” said Billie demurely, after the laughter had subsided.  “Are the boys going to help cook or are they not?”

“I tell you what,” said Chet desperately.  “We’ll cook if you will promise to eat it.”

“Billie,” cried Laura in alarm, “don’t make any rash promises.  They would probably put some awful thing into the food on purpose.”

“Laura, that’s some idea,” cried Ferd, looking at her admiringly while Teddy and Chet chuckled.  “Thanks.  We never would have thought of that ourselves.”

“Well,” said Billie with a little chuckle, “I imagine we would rather eat our own cooking anyway, so you needn’t worry.  Only,” she added warningly, as they sighed with relief, “there is one thing you will have to do.”

“And what’s that?” they cried fearfully.

“Help wash the dishes,” she said; and in her tone was no relenting.

And so, even to the impatient girls the time passed quickly until at last the great day arrived.

It was a wonderful day, sunshiny and warm without being too hot, and all three of them were up with the birds.  They were to catch the eight o’clock morning train, and so they had no time to waste in bed.

Billie was in a joyful mood as she got herself into the pretty new dress she was to wear on the trip.  She ran around the room, humming to herself and every once in a while doing a little dance step as she realized that they were at last to embark upon their adventure.

And an adventure she somehow felt sure it was to be.  For even though, contrary to Chet’s hopes, and she smiled as she thought of him, they did not meet with ghosts at Cherry Corners, there would be the fun of seeing for the first time her inheritance.

It might be a queer old house and the contents and the grounds about it might be of small value, but there was a wonderful thrill nevertheless in being the owner of it.

And there was the fact that it dated back to revolutionary times, it was really historic and—­it all belonged to her!

No wonder she sang as she gave a last fond pat to the pretty dress and tucked a wandering little strand of hair into place.  Her eyes danced and her face was flushed, but Billie never noticed how pretty she was.

She was the first in the dining-room that morning, but her mother soon came in, scattering advice as she came and all through the meal Billie tried hard to listen dutifully to all the “must nots” and “don’t dos.”  But all the time her eyes were on the clock and her mind was saying over and over again: 

“In just half an hour we’ll be on the train.  In just half an hour we’ll be on the train.”

Then Chet came in and her father, and, finding that it was almost train time, postponed their breakfast to see her off.  A few minutes later they started off to pick up the girls on the way to the station.

They found them waiting impatiently, and wildly eager to be off.  About a block from the station they heard the whistle of the train, and the girls would run for it, though they really had plenty of time.