“Yes, it’s his excitement,” said Mavis; and she and Norah talked reassuringly, as if to each other, but really at Dale.  “He’ll be all right, Norah, when he has had his run about.”

“Yes,” sad Norah sagely, “children are like that.  They must let off steam.  As soon as they’re tired they remember their manners and behave nicely.”

At the Station Inn Dale put up the horse and trap, and the journey was pursued by rail.

The brightness and gaiety of Rodhaven charmed them all.  They seemed to get out of the train into another climate, another world.  Everything was new and strange—­blazing sun with a wind that made you as cool as a cucumber; crowds and crowds of people, Salvation Army band, procession of volunteers; and the pier, the streamers, the sea—­and the sands.

Rachel scarcely glanced at Ocean’s face:  the sands were enough for her.  They got away from the crowd, and played on the sands.  Dale was so jolly with the children, running about, sportively chasing them, hunting for shells, popping the buds of seaweed; while Mavis sat on a dry bit of rock, looking large, red, overblown, and adored her family.  The little boy soon became, frankly, a nuisance, wanting his sister’s shells, refusing to catch daddy, wishing to paddle in his boots; and Dale, testy at last, very hot and perspiring said:  “Ma lad, if you wear out my patience, you’ll suffer for your conduct.”

Then, almost at the same moment, Dale’s top hat blew off; and a mad chase ensued.  The hat, like a live thing with the devil in it, bounded and curvetted wildly, doubled away from Dale, dodged Rachel, and sprang right over Norah’s head, threatening to make for the open sea.  Mavis had scrambled up; and she stood on the rock, a tragic figure, with a finger to her lip, watching the hat chase distractedly.  Norah caught the hat in the end, and it was really not much the worse for its gambol.

Mavis’ first words were, “Is it your best?”

“No,” gasped Dale, very much out of breath; “my second-best.”

“Thank goodness,” said Mavis.

They made a fine solid meal at tea in a vast refreshment-hall on the sands; Mavis and Norah, with their hats on adjacent chairs and their hair untidy, helping the little ones to top and tail the first shrimps that they had ever encountered; Dale eating heaps of shrimps and drinking cup after cup of tea.  The wind blew sand against the glass front of the hall—­the smell of the sea mingled with the smell of the shrimps—­and they were absolutely happy.  But when all felt replete the boy began to cry, and soon howled.  “I wis’ I lived here always, yes, I do.”

“O Billy, you like home best.”

“No, I don’t.  I like this best.  I hate home;” and he bellowed.

“He’s getting tired,” said Norah sagely.

“Yes,” said Mavis.  “That’s all it is.  He’s getting tired.”

He fell asleep directly they got into the lamplit train; and Norah carried him from the station, carried him all the time the horse was being put to and they were getting ready to leave.  “He’s too much for you,” said Dale kindly.  “Give him to me.”