"Not at all, Mrs. Wellington, don't bother about me. I hope I 'm not company." Mrs. Wellington smiled. She was very partial to the young widow. "The boys are at Ochre Point for the night. You might call up people if you want company for dinner, Anne." "To think," cried Anne, as her mother left the room, "how events have shaped themselves for us! Of course we shan't dine at home; I 'll have Emilia tell Mrs. Stetson after we have gone. Now, Sara, what can we do exciting?" Her eyes flashed with animation as she gazed at her friend. "Shall it be shop girl disguises with dinner on Thames Street, or what?" "I know," cried Sara. "We 'll put on shirt-waist suits and plain hats, muss our hair a bit, and take a trip on a sight-seeing barge." "Lovely. Mc--Mr. Armitage can take us to the starting place at Easton's Beach and then pick us up there when we get back. After that--" "Hoop-la," laughed Sara, and the two young women--nothing but school girls now--fell into each other's arms, hugging joyously. When Armitage appeared again at the _porte cochere_ a few minutes before five o'clock, two very changed, but merry young women awaited him. Anne flashed her eyes at Armitage. "To Easton's Beach, McCall," she said sweetly. Easton's Beach was at the height of the day's exodus of excursionists to Providence, Fall River, Taunton and elsewhere, as Armitage drew alongside the sun-baked board walk in front of the main bathing pavilion. Trolley cars, which had rolled empty down the long hill by the ocean side, were now ascending laden to the guards, and the ocean, relieved of its bathers, whose suits of multifarious cuts and colors had grievously marred the blue waters, had recovered its beautiful serenity. "We are going to take a barge ride, McCall," said Anne, as they alighted from the car. "You might follow us at a respectful distance, though, so you can pick us up when we decide to get out." Armitage touched his cap and sat watching amusedly, while Anne and Sara with exaggerated swinging strides walked toward a barge comfortably filled with a heterogeneous assemblage of sightseers. They paused uncertainly at the side of the clumsy vehicle and were thus espied by the driver, who was on the point of starting his horses. "Whoa!" he cried, pulling at the reins. "Here you are, ladies. Two seats in the front for the sunset drive. Last chance of the day. All the way round for fifty cents. All points pointed out, with inside information." Sara glanced doubtfully at Anne, but the girl already had her foot on the step. "We ain't going all the way," she said. "Can we get out where we please?" "Sure, the sooner the better," cried the driver cheerfully. "All right," said Anne, clambering in; "come on, Jane." Sara followed obediently, kneeing her way along the seat to Anne's side. "The Cliff Walk," said the driver, swinging his whip to the left as they drove up the hill. "Is that where society people walk?" asked Anne.