Uncle is as bad as the rest, and it's great fun," she said, as the lads came round her, half scolding, half welcoming, and wholly enjoying the double surprise.
"You were not to come till afternoon, and mamma was to be here to receive you.

Everything is in a mess now, except your tent; we got that in order the first thing, and you can sit there and see us work," said Archie, doing the honours as usual.
"Rose felt it in her bones, as Dolly says, that something was in the wind, and wanted to be off at once.

So I let her come, and should have kept her away an hour longer if your fish had not betrayed you," explained Uncle Alec, subsiding from a ferocious Crusoe into his good-natured self again.
"As this seat is rather damp, I think I'll rise," said Rose, as the excitement lessened a little.
Several fishy hands helped her up, and Charlie said, as he scattered the scarlet garments over the grass with an oar, "We had a jolly good swim before dinner, and I told the Brats to spread these to dry.

Hope you brought your things, Rose, for you belong to the Lobsters, you know, and we can have no end of fun teaching you to dive and float and tread water." "I didn't bring anything--" began Rose, but was interrupted by the Brats (otherwise Will and Geordie), who appeared bearing the big bundle, so much demoralised by its fall that a red flannel tunic trailed out at one end and a little blue dressing-gown at the other, while the knobs proved to be a toilet-case, rubbers, and a silver mug.
"Oh, that sly Phebe! This was the secret, and she bundled up those things after I went down to the boat," cried Rose, with sparkling eyes.
"Guess something is smashed inside, for a bit of glass fell out," observed Will, as they deposited the bundle at her feet.
"Catch a girl going anywhere without a looking-glass.

We haven't got one among the whole lot of us," added Mac, with masculine scorn.
"Dandy has; I caught him touching up his wig behind the trees after our swim," cut in Geordie, wagging a derisive finger at Steve, who promptly silenced him by a smart rap on the head with the drum-stick he had just polished off.
"Come, come, you lazy lubbers, fall to work, or we shall not be ready for mamma.