“Who is talking now?” demanded Margery.

Tommy subsided at once.

“The question is, are you going to run away from us again?” demanded George.

“We never have.  Remember, we followed you over here,” suggested Jane.  “We shall be near here for some time in all probability.  We have plenty of time.  After we get tired of this spot we probably shall move to some other anchorage, but we’ll be here for a few days yet.”

“Keep your eyes open, or you will miss us again and your last chance will be gone,” warned Harriet.

“We shall keep our eyes open,” answered George with an emphatic nod.

The luncheon having been finished, Billy suggested that they spend the afternoon in exploring the island.  This suited Harriet.  She wanted to see how familiar the boys were with their island.  So all started out, leaving the dishes to be washed later.  The girls shook their heads disapprovingly.

“Oh, we have a patent dish washing machine,” announced Larry.  “You see, we dump the whole lot of dishes into the lake after having smeared them with sand.  We leave the dishes there and the waves wash them.  All we have to do is to take them out and lay them in the sun an hour or so afterwards.  As soon as the dishes dry off they are ready for another meal to be served on them.”

“Ithn’t that jutht like a man?” demanded Tommy.

“This is Willow Island,” Billy informed them after they had mounted a ridge that commanded a view of about a quarter of the island.

“It used to be,” answered Harriet.  “We have rechristened it.”

“What have you named it?” said Billy, regarding her inquiringly.

“We have named it the ‘Island of Delight.’  How do you like it?”

“Great!” shouted the boys in chorus.

“Have you been all over it yet?” asked Sam.

“No, we have not,” replied Jane, and with truth, for they had not yet explored the entire island.  They were going to do so that day.

Harriet wanted to test their woodsmanship, so she skilfully led the boys toward the spot where the “Red Rover” had been so successfully secreted during the time the boys had been searching for them.  By making a wide detour Harriet finally brought up right over the place where the cave and the secret creek lay.

Jane turned away that they might not see her laughter.  In the meantime Harriet and George were discussing the beauties of the place.  She gave him every opportunity to discover the retreat, but George looked about him with unseeing eyes.  As a matter of fact, Harriet admitted to herself that had she not known that the stream lay below her she never would have dreamed of its existence.

There were smiles on the faces of all the Meadow-Brook Girls when finally they turned away and slowly beat their trail through the thick growth of vegetation to the lower end of the island.  They spent some time there, sitting on rocks, watching the boats on the lake.  Many admiring glances were directed toward the girls by the Tramp Club boys who were very much pleased with the straightforward friendly manner of the Meadow-Brook Girls.