But Betty turned on her irritably.  She was tired and nervous and angry at herself for having anything to do with that conceited dude, Percy Falconer.

“You heard me say he could come, didn’t you?” she said in response to Grace’s incredulous question, Amy’s wide-eyed stare, and Mollie’s grin.  “And if you are going to ask me why I said so,” she added desperately, “I’m not going to tell you.  And if anybody speaks to me before I get back to the dock, I’ll—­ wreck ’em, that’s all.”

The girls exchanged glances and wisely decided to change the subject, for the present at least.  For the time they had plenty to do anyway, just watching out that somebody else did not run into them!

By the time they reached comparatively clear water they were all tired and they were glad for once when the Gem scraped against the home dock and the “cruise” was over.

“Well,” said Mollie as they climbed on to the dock, “we surely did have some excitement, but we didn’t get what we started out for after all.”

“What’s that?” asked Grace, as she tied the ribbon round her candy box and adjusted her hat at a more becoming angle.

“Ice-cream and a drink of ice water,” said Mollie ruefully.  “I’ve just remembered that I am dying of thirst.”

“Come on around to my house,” Betty invited.  Her wrist was lame from gripping the wheel so hard and she felt it gingerly.  “Mother said she would make a big pitcher of lemonade for us and leave it in the refrigerator.”

“Whew,” whistled Mollie, taking Betty’s arm and hurrying her forward.  “By any chance did you girls hear what I heard?  Me for it, Betty Nelson.”

The girls talked little an their way to Betty’s house, but they thought a good deal.  They were tired and disgruntled, and it seemed to them in their pessimistic mood that everything they had tried to do that day had gone wrong.  And the climax of it all was their meeting—­ if it could be called a meeting—­ with Percy Falconer.  Worst of all, Betty was going to allow him to call!

With something of this in her mind, Mollie glanced sideways at her chum and, curiosity getting the better of her discretion, ventured to remark upon it.

“I wonder what Allen will say,” she said, “when he learns about Percy.”

It was an unfortunate remark, as Betty very soon showed by turning upon her chum angrily.

“I don’t know that Allen has a right to say anything at all about what I do,” she said.  “And as I don’t intend ever to see Percy Falconer after to-morrow, I think we had better forget about him.  But there,” she added, bringing herself up short and giving Mollie’s hand a little conciliatory squeeze, “I didn’t mean to be cross.  I’m just kind of mad about the whole thing—­ and tired, and hot——­”

“I know,” said Mollie generously.  “I guess we all are—­ tired and hot, I mean.  We will feel better after we have had something cold to drink.”