So they all got in—Mr. Holden and Tom Scott rowing, Jane and Ada comfortably reclining in the bow, Mrs. Holden and Marion in the stern. The boat glided gently along. Marion had never seen this part of the river before, as she had had little leisure for pleasure parties since she came to live in town, and she was delighted with the beauty of the scene. Tom Scott showed her Pope’s Villa and other places of interest. In spite of the heat, Jane seemed blessed with a superabundance of energy, and after a time she took Mr. Holden’s oar and rowed so well that he declared himself surpassed. Now they neared the towers of Hampton Court, and finding a suitable little island shaded by willows, they moored to a tree and prepared for lunch, for which they all had excellent appetites. “We have to make our pudding, you know,” said Marion, laughing. “Going to do cooking out of doors?” asked Mr. Scott. “Shall I make a field oven?” “No, we don’t need to do any cooking, and it will all be ready in five minutes,” she answered, and set to work. She brought out the sponge cakes, split them in half, and put half of them at the bottom of a large pie-dish that she had brought with her; this she spread with a thick layer of greengage jam, then she put another layer of sponge cake. “Now, Jenny, the strawberries,” she said; but Jenny had already got them out and was busy picking off the stalks. When this was done, she arranged them on the cake in a thick layer, sprinkled them thickly with castor sugar, and lastly spread thick cream, which she had brought in its own brown jar, over the whole. As a last touch, a few “hundreds and thousands” were quickly sprinkled over the top, and the dish was finished, amidst the admiring plaudits of Madge and her party. Jane’s tomato salad went excellently with the cold lamb which Mrs. Holden had provided, and the whole repast went off well. Ada’s sandwiches kept perfectly fresh, as they were wrapped in a damp cloth before being packed, and they were much liked. After lunch the indefatigable Jane washed up, Mrs. Holden and Ada helping her, and repacked the hamper. They then rowed across the river to the Palace. Marion suggested looking at the pictures, and Tom Scott offered to conduct her, with an alacrity that was quite surprising, considering that he had been expressing his absolute ignorance of the subject about five minutes before. “Will you come, too, Madge?”