"Refreshments? Aren't you perfectly _terrible_! Of course there are--_oceans_ of them." "No more oceans for me," said Townsend. "Hereafter I'm going to live on shore. My sailing--flopping--days are over." "You're too funny for anything," said Minerva. "Listen, do you see that little tent? The refreshments are all in there. There's just time before the guests all come to move everything over here. I want you boys to help me. We're going to call it the _dessert island_ instead of the _desert island_. Isn't that adorable? Isn't it odd? Everyone will go into raptures over it, you see if they don't. You'll let us use your island, won't you?" "We'll make you a present of it," said Townsend. "My idea," said Miss Timerson, "would be to tie it to these bushes that stick out over the water. It ought to be far enough away from the--the mainland--to be romantic. How far away do you think it should be, Mr. Ripley?" "The way I feel about it I think it should be at least two thousand miles off." "Silly!" said Miss Daring. "Please be serious. Do you think about three yards would be romantic?" "I never measured romance by the yard," said Townsend, "but I should think about three yards and a half of romance would be enough. If we have any left over we can give it to the discoverer. He eats it alive." "And I'll tell you what I'll do," shouted Pee-wee; "it's an inspiration." "Another?" Townsend asked. "I'll--I'll--I'll stay on the island----" "I thought so," said Townsend. "And--and--I'll stand right here by the traffic sign and after somebody that's eating has had enough, I'll turn the sign so it says STOP; I'll turn it so it's facing him." "Did you ever hear anything so absurd?" said Minerva. "I think it would be picturesque," said Dora. "And sensible, too," said Margaret, "because some of those scouts will just stay here and gorge themselves and won't dance at all." "I think it's a very good idea," said Townsend; "it will relieve congestion here. A food traffic cop." "I'll be it," shouted Pee-wee. "Where is this romantic scaffold?" Townsend asked. "The painters left it in the cellar," said Minerva. "Let's hurry, I'll show you where it is." There was, indeed, just time enough to arrange this novel life-saving station with its picturesque gang-plank before the guests began to arrive. "And this is the end of our wild adventures on a foreign shore," said Townsend, as he carried one end of the old scaffold across the dim-lighted lawn accompanied by the group of excited maidens; "we wind up at a lawn party. This is what the discoverer has brought us to." "Don't you think he's just _killing_?" Minerva asked. "More than that," said Townsend; "his hunter's stew is more than killing. Did you ever try any of it?" "Never mind, you're going to have some delicious chicken salad," said Minerva.