“Oh, Carter,” she cried, “have my seeds come up yet?  And what are the flowers?  Let’s go and look at them.”

“Come up yet, is it?  No, indeed, they’ve scarcely settled themselves down in the earth yet.”

“I wish they would come up, I want to see what they’ll be.  Let’s go and look at the place where we planted them, Carter.”

So they turned aside to the flowerbed where the precious seeds had been planted, but not even Marjorie’s sharp eyes could detect the tiniest green sprout.  With an impatient little sigh she turned away, and as they continued down toward the boathouse, Marjorie heard somebody calling, and Molly Moss came flying up to her, all out of breath.

“We were so afraid we wouldn’t catch you,” she exclaimed, “for your Grandma said you had gone out in the boat.”

“We haven’t yet,” answered Marjorie, “but we’re just going.  Oh, Carter, can we take Molly, too?”

“And Stella,” added Molly.  “She’s coming along behind.”

Sure enough, Stella was just appearing round the corner of the house, and walking as sedately as if on her way to church.

“Hurry up, Stella,” called Marjorie.  “Can we all go, Carter?”

“Yes, if yees’ll set still in the boat and if the other little lady gets here before afternoon.  She’s the nice, quiet child, but you two are a pair of rascally babies, and I don’t know whether it’s safe to go on the water with ye.  I’m thinkin’ I’ll take little Miss Stella, and leave ye two behind.”

“I don’t think you will, Carter,” said Marjorie, not at all alarmed by the old man’s threat. “I think you’ll take all three of us, and we’ll sit as still as mice, won’t we, Molly?”

“Yes,” said Molly; “can we take off our shoes and stockings and hang our feet over the sides of the boat?”

“Oh, yes,” cried Marjorie, “that will be lots of fun!”

“Indeed you’ll do nothing of the sort,” and Carter’s honest old face showed that he felt great anxiety concerning his madcap charges.  “Ye must promise to sit still, and not move hand or foot, or I’ll go back to my work and leave yees on shore.”

This awful suggestion brought about promises of strictly good behavior, and as Stella had arrived, the party proceeded to the boathouse.

Stella was mildly pleased at the prospect of a row, and walked demurely by Carter’s side, while the other two ran on ahead and reached the boathouse first.

As the door was locked, and they could not open it, Marjorie, who was all impatience to see the boat, proposed that they climb in the window.  Molly needed no second invitation, and easily slipped through the little square window, and Marjorie, with a trifle more difficulty, wriggled her own plump little body through after.

As the window was not on the side of the boathouse toward which Carter was approaching, he did not see the performance, and so when he and Stella reach the boathouse a few moments later, they could see nothing at all of the other two girls.