“Just what I thought in regard to your highness,” returned Betty, glancing up from her book with a laugh.  “I stayed at home to enjoy my book and the bath.  What kept you?”

“Papa,” answered Lulu with a frown; “he wouldn’t let me go.”

“Because you put on that dress, I presume,” laughed Betty.  “Well, it’s not very suitable, that’s a fact.  But I had no idea that the captain was such a connoisseur in matters of that sort.”

“He isn’t! he doesn’t know or care if it wasn’t for Mamma Vi,” burst out Lulu vehemently.  “And she’s no business to dictate about my dress either.  I’m old enough to judge and decide for myself.”

“Really, it is a great pity that one so wise should be compelled to submit to dictation,” observed Betty with exasperating irony.

Lulu, returning a furious look, which her tormentor feigned not to see, then marching into the adjoining room, gave tardy obedience to her father’s orders anent the dress.

“Are you going in this morning?” asked Betty, when Lulu had returned to the little parlor.

“I don’t know; papa didn’t say whether I might or not.”

“Then I should take the benefit of the doubt and follow my own inclination in the matter.  It’s ten now; the bathing hour is eleven; I shall be done my book by that time, and we’ll go in together if you like.”

“I’ll see about it,” Lulu said, walking away.

She went down to the beach and easily whiled away an hour watching the waves and the people, and digging in the sand.  When she saw the others going to the bath-houses she hastened back to her temporary home.

As she entered Betty was tossing aside her book.  “So here you are!” she said, yawning and stretching herself.  “Are you going in?”

“Yes; if papa is angry I’ll tell him he should have forbidden me if he didn’t want me to do it.”

They donned their bathing-suits and went in with the crowd; but though no mishap befell them and they came out safely again, Lulu found that for some reason her bath was not half so enjoyable as usual.

She and Betty dined at the hotel where the family had frequently taken their meals, then they strolled down to the beach and seated themselves on a bench under an awning.

After a while Betty proposed taking a walk.

“Where to?” asked Lulu.

“To Sankaty Lighthouse.”

“Well, I’m agreed; it’s a nice walk; you can look out over the sea all the way,” said Lulu, getting up.  But a sudden thought seemed to strike her; she paused and hesitated.

“Well, what’s the matter?” queried Betty.

“Nothing; only papa told me I was to stay at home to-day.”

“Oh, nonsense! what a little goose!” exclaimed Betty; “of course that only meant you were not to go to the ‘squantum’; so come along.”

Lulu was by no means sure that that was really all her father meant, but she wanted the walk, so suffered herself to be persuaded, and they went.