CHAPTER IX.
The Rivals There had been a pretence of fishing, but no fish had been caught.
It was soon found that such an amusement would interfere with the ladies' dresses, and the affairs had become too serious to allow of any trivial interruption.

"I really think, Mr Cheesacre," an anxious mother had said, "that you'd better give it up.

The water off the nasty cord has got all over Maria's dress, already." Maria made a faint protest that it did not signify in the least; but the fishing was given up,--not without an inward feeling on the part of Mr Cheesacre that if Maria chose to come out with him in his boat, having been invited especially to fish, she ought to have put up with the natural results.

"There are people who like to take everything and never like to give anything," he said to Kate afterwards, as he was walking up with her to the picnic dinner.

But he was unreasonable and unjust.