"Ah, methinks thou hast a lean and hungry look." "Hungry's not the word. Starving Belgium is nothing to me. I feel as though I had had nothing to eat since yesterday." "Oh, Skeeter! Think of all that lunch!" exclaimed Lil, lolling back luxuriously in the steamer chair with grass cloth cushions tucked in around her. "Why, Mr.--Mr.--Spring-keeper, he has done nothing but eat all day!" "We think it is very hard on you for all of us to come piling in on you this way," said Lucy. "Hard on us! Why, Tom Tit and I are so happy we hardly know what to do to show it," said the old man kindly. "But you must excuse me while I go prepare some food for you." "But you must let us help!" from the girls, although Lil was rather perfunctory in her offers of assistance. She felt as though nothing short of dynamite could get her out of that chair. "No, indeed! Tom Tit and I are famous cooks and we can get something ready in short order." "Please, sir," said Frank, who had been very quiet while the others were telling their host of their adventures, "I--I--must not stop one moment to eat or anything else. I want you to tell me how to find my way back to Greendale so I can tell the people at the camp that Lucy and Lil are all right. They were put in our charge, and I must let them know." "Of course, I am going, too," put in Skeeter, "but I thought I might eat first." Everyone had to laugh at poor Skeeter's rueful countenance. The spring-keeper smiled broadly, but he patted Frank on the back. "Have you a telephone at camp?" "Yes, we had to put one in." "Well, then, we'll just 'phone them even before we begin to cook our feast." "'Phone! Have you a telephone here?" exclaimed Lucy. "Yes, my dear young lady. I love the wildwood, but I have to know what's going on in the world. A man who does not take the good the gods provide him in the way of modern inventions is a fool. I may be a fool, but I'm not that kind of a fool." "Lucy, you had better do the 'phoning so they'll know you girls are safe, first thing," suggested Frank. "Yes, and it had better be done immediately," said their host. "Central in the mountains goes to roost very early, and you might not get connection. I'll call up Greendale and make them give me the camp." Connection was got without much trouble and Lucy took the receiver. "Hello! Is that Camp Carter? Well, this is me." "Lucy! Is it you?" in Helen's distracted tones from the other end. "Yes, it's me, and all of us are all right, but we are going to spend the night out." "Out where?" "About ten miles from Greendale!" "You mean outdoors?" "Oh, no; with a spring-keeper!" "A what? Oh, Lucy, are you crazy? We are so uneasy about all of you, we are nearly wild! It's dark as can be and we are trying to keep it from mother and father that you have not come home. Tell me where you are. Speak distinctly and loudly and stop giggling." Of course the usual giggles had rendered Lucy unable to speak.