“But I have my friend with me here,” she exclaimed almost sadly and dubiously, for she still wanted to go alone — never in her life had she wanted any one less than Grace Marr at this moment.
Why had she brought her?
She wasn’t so very pretty and Clyde might not like her, and that might spoil the occasion.
“Besides,” she added almost in the same breath and with many thoughts fighting her, “maybe I’d better not.
Is it safe?”
“Oh, yes, maybe you better had,” laughed Clyde seeing that she was yielding.
“It’s perfectly safe,” he added eagerly.
Then maneuvering the canoe next to the bank, which was a foot above the water, and laying hold of a root to hold it still, he said: “Of course you won’t be in any danger.
Call your friend then, if you want to, and I’ll row the two of you.
There’s room for two and there are lots of water lilies everywhere over there.”
He nodded toward the east side of the lake.
Roberta could no longer resist and seized an overhanging branch by which to steady herself. At the same time she began to call:
“Oh, Gray-ace! Gray-ace!
Where are you?” for she had at last decided that it was best to include her.
A far-off voice as quickly answered:
“Hello-o!
What do you want?”
“Come up here.
Come on. I got something I want to tell you.”
“Oh, no, you come on down here.
The daisies are just wonderful.”
“No, you come on up here.
There’s some one here that wants to take us boating.”
She intended to call this loudly, but somehow her voice failed and her friend went on gathering flowers.
Roberta frowned.
She did not know just what to do.
“Oh, very well, then,” she suddenly decided, and straightening up added:
“We can row down to where she is, I guess.”
And Clyde, delighted, exclaimed:
“Oh, that’s just fine.
Sure.
Do get in.
We’ll pick these here first and then if she hasn’t come, I’ll paddle down nearer to where she is.
Just step square in the center and that will balance it.”
He was leaning back and looking up at her and Roberta was looking nervously and yet warmly into his eyes.
Actually it was as though she were suddenly diffused with joy, enveloped in a rosy mist.
She balanced one foot.
“Will it be perfectly safe?”
“Sure, sure,” emphasized Clyde.
“I’ll hold it safe. Just take hold of that branch there and steady yourself by that.”
He held the boat very still as she stepped. Then, as the canoe careened slightly to one side, she dropped to the cushioned seat with a little cry.
It was like that of a baby to Clyde.
“It’s all right,” he reassured her.
“Just sit in the center there.
It won’t tip over.
Gee, but this is funny.
I can’t make it out quite.
You know just as I was coming around that point I was thinking of you — how maybe you might like to come out to a place like this sometime.
And now here you are and here I am, and it all happened just like that.”
He waved his hand and snapped his fingers.