He would be ready when the girl waved--for of course she would wave; he would show her that he had not forgotten.

He could see just how the sparkle would come to her eyes, and just how the little fine lines of mischief would crinkle around her nose when she was ready to give that first wave.

He could imagine that she would like to find him napping; that she would like to take him by surprise, and make him scurry around for his flags to answer her.
"But he would show her! As if she, a girl, were to beat him at their old game! He wondered which it would be: 'I'm coming over,' or, 'You are to come over here.' Whichever it was, he would answer, of course, with the red 'All right.' Still, it WOULD be a joke to run up the blue 'Got to work,' and then slip across to see her, just as she, so long ago, had played the joke on him! On the whole, however, he thought the red flag would be better.

And it was that one which he laid uppermost ready to his hand, when he arranged them.
"At last she came.

He heard of it at once.