Margery stared at Harriet in silence, then carefully setting the dish on the little shelf above the stove she sat down on the floor and burst into tears.

Harriet left her frying pan, and, taking Buster firmly by an arm, lifted the girl to her feet and led her out to the after deck.

“Wha—­at are you go—­oing to do?”

“Bathe your face for you and set you down on the deck to cool off,” replied Harriet.

“You knew all the time that there wasn’t any oven,” sobbed Buster.

“Yes, of course I did.  So should you have known.  I let you go on—­”

“Because you are mean,” interjected the unhappy Margery.

“No.  To teach you to use your eyes.  You should learn to be observing.  Didn’t you hear us talking about that oven when Jane brought home the stove?”

“Ye—­es.  I had forgotten.”

“Of course you had.  Now get ready for supper.  To-morrow I will make an oven of stones on the shore and you shall make your custard and you shall have it all to yourself, if you wish, just to punish us for being so mean to you.  Will that satisfy you, Buster?”

“Ye—­ye—­yes,” answered Buster, with three distinct catches in her voice.

“Come, now, dry your eyes, that’s a dear,” urged Harriet.  “Tommy!”

“Yeth?”

“Will you kindly place the chairs.  Supper will be served in the cabin as soon as the coffee is ready.”

Tommy proceeded noisily about her task of putting the chairs in place at the table.  Soon after that Harriet with a dish towel whipped the smoke out of the cabin and then announced that supper was ready.  Margery’s eyes were red and she had little to say, but her appetite was unaffected by her late bitter disappointment.

“Now tell us of your latest scheme, Harriet,” urged the guardian after they had settled down to their supper.

“My scheme?  Which scheme?”

There was a laugh at Harriet’s expense.

“There, girls!  You see.  Harriet has so many schemes and plans in her head that she doesn’t know which is which.  I mean your second scheme for fooling the Tramp Club, Harriet.”

“Oh, yes.  I know.  I am not going to put it into operation until to-morrow.  You may not approve of it, but I hope you will.”

“I don’t think you have reason to complain of my opposing your plans, Harriet.  To tell the truth, I enjoy them as much as you.  But before we go any further with our discussion, do you not think it would be an excellent idea to hang a blanket over that rear door.  The light might attract attention from the lake and bring undesirable persons here.”

“Thank you.  I never thought of it.”  Harriet rose at once.  Selecting a long blanket, she fastened it over the doorway, after which she drew down the shades.  The door at the other end of the boat opened on to a solid wall of rock, so that no light could escape from that end.  Harriet was about to resume her seat at the table, when she paused sharply, raising her hand as a signal for silence.