“Search me,” said Westy.  “I guess not, he doesn’t dance.  I heard somebody say he was with some fellows up the river.”

“Starting a new bunch of patrols, I suppose,” said Roy.

“Bentley’s gardener saw him somewhere,” said Wig Weigand.

“It’s just possible he was somewhere,” said Roy.  “I’ve often known him to go there.  Let’s talk of something pleasant.  What do you say we get a light supper down here.  Anybody that wants to go home and dress can do it only he has to hustle.  She wants us to wear our scout suits anyway, she said so.  I say let’s get a few eats down here and then wash up and all hike it up there together.  United we stand——­”

“What are we going to eat?” Grove Bronson asked.  “I don’t see anything here but some fishhooks and a package of tacks.”

“Listen to the voice from Pee-wee’s old patrol!” said Roy. “Eats!  I’ll fry some killies.  Haven’t we got some milk chocolate and Ulika biscuits?  I bet there’s a large crowd of peanuts and other junk in Pee-wee’s locker.  Can’t you wait till you get to Minerva’s?  She’ll have chicken salad and ice cream and sandwiches and cake and lemonade and paper napkins and souvenirs and everything.  We’ll feel more like eating a little later.  What do you all say?  If each of us goes home we’ll never get together again; we’ll all straggle in there one by two.”

“Suppose she doesn’t have anything but a couple of fancy boxes of bonbons; you know how girls are,” said Doc Carson.  “Safety first, that’s what I say.”

“I haven’t had anything to eat since lunch time,” said Ralph Warner.

“Minerva wouldn’t wish anything like that on us,” said Connie.

“You said it,” said Roy; “they’re not passing around famines up at her house.  Where do you think we’re going?  To Russia?  Minerva’s got the Sandwich Islands green with envy.  What’s the use of spoiling refreshments by eating now?  You fellows are worse than the children of Armenia!  I say, let’s have a swim; the tide is nice and high, and then rest up and eat some crackers and hike up to the party.  They’ll be throwing chocolate cake at us up there.

“My patrol all have their good suits on; most of the rest of you have some Christmas tree regalia in your lockers, and the others can beat it home and hurry up back.  What do you say?  Aye, aye, aye, aye, aye, aye, aye, aye!” Roy shouted.  “Carried by a large majority!  Come on, let’s go in for a swim while the tide’s up.  That will help to give us an appetite.”

“What do you mean, ’help to give us one?” asked Artie Van Arlen.  “Haven’t I got four already?”

“Well, when you come out of the water you’ll have five,” said Roy.

“Suppose—­suppose,” said Dorry Benton, who was ever cautious, “suppose, just suppose they should only have lady fingers and grape juice, or something like that.”  He stood uncertain, dangling his bathing suit.  “Suppose they should have afternoon tea crackers.  Did you ever eat those?”