Part 9 (1/2)

”We have had the varsovienne,” said Nan, ”that is like the minuet.

Mother says they are old-time dances, but they are new in our cla.s.s.”

”We may have a costume affair next month,” went on Dorothy. ”Some of the girls want it, but I don't like wigs and long dresses, especially for dancing. I get all tangled up in a train dress.”

”I never wore one,” said Nan, ”excepting at play, and I can't see how any girl can dance with a lot of long skirts dangling around.”

”Oh, they mostly bow and smile,” put in Bert, ”and a boy has to be awfully careful at one of those affairs. If he should step on a skirt there surely would be trouble,” and he snapped his whip at the donkeys with the air of one who had little regard for the graceful art of dancing.

”We had better go back now,” said Dorothy, presently. ”You haven't had a chance to see our own place yet, but I thought you wanted to get acquainted with the ocean first. Everybody does!”

”I have enjoyed it so much!” declared Nan. ”It is pleasanter now than when the sun grows hot.”

”But we need the sun for bathing,” Dorothy told her. ”That is why we 'go in' at the noon hour.”

The drive back to the Cliff seemed very short, and when the children drove up to the side porch they found Mrs. Bobbsey and Aunt Emily sitting outside with their fancy work.

Freddie could hardly find words to tell his mother how big the ocean was, and Flossie declared the water ran right into the sky it was so high.

”Now, girls,” said Aunt Emily, ”Mrs. Manily has gone to bring Nellie down, so you must go and arrange her room. I think the front room over Nan's will be best. Now get out all your pretty things, Dorothy, for little Nellie may be lonely and want some things to look at.”

”All right, mother,” answered Dorothy, letting Bert put the donkeys away, ”we'll make her room look like--like a valentine,” she finished, always getting some fun in even where very serious matters were concerned.

The two girls, with Flossie looking on, were soon very busy with Nellie's room.

”We must not make it too fussy,” said Dorothy, ”or Nellie may not feel at home; and we certainly want her to enjoy herself. Will we put a pink or blue set on the dresser?”

”Blue,” said Nan, ”for I know she loves blue. She said so when we picked violets at Meadow Brook.”

”All right,” agreed Dorothy. ”And say! Let's fix up something funny!

We'll get all the alarm clocks in the house and set them so they will go off one after the other, just when Nellie gets to bed, say about nine o'clock. We'll hide them so she will just about find one when the other starts! She isn't really sick, is she?” Dorothy asked, suddenly remembering that the visitor might not be in as good spirits as she herself was.

”Oh, no, only run down,” answered Nan, ”and I'm sure she would enjoy the joke.”

So the girls went on fixing up the pretty little room. Nan ran downstairs and brought up Nettie Prentice's flowers.

”I thought they would do someone good,” she said. ”They are so fragrant.”

”Aren't they!” Dorothy said, burying her pretty nose in the white lilies. ”They smell better than florists' bouquets. I suppose that's from the country air. Now I'll go collect clocks,” and without asking anyone's permission Dorothy went from room to room, s.n.a.t.c.hing alarm clocks from every dresser that held one.

”Susan's is a peach,” she told Nan, apologizing with a smile, for the slang. ”It goes off for fifteen minutes if you don't stop it, and it sounds like a church bell.”

”Nellie will think she has gotten into college,” Nan said, laughing.

”This is like hazing, isn't it?”

”Only we won't really annoy her,” said Dorothy. ”We just want to make her laugh. College boys, they say, do all sorts of mean things. Make a boy swim in an icy river and all that.”

”I hope Bert never goes to a school where they do hazing,” said Nan, feeling for her brother's safety. ”I think such sport is just wicked!”

”So do I,” declared Dorothy, ”and if I were a new fellow, and they played such tricks on me, I would just wait for years if I had to, to pay them back.”