"And they don't know our boat," I added.

"Hi, there!" Jimmie shouted back, "that's our boat yonder--the _Lulu_."

And with that they all struck up "Lu, Lu, How I love my Lu," at which
Bee blushed most unnecessarily, I thought, and murmured:

"How well a handsome athlete looks with bare arms."

"And bare legs," added Jimmie, genially.

We found so much to do on the house-boat, and Jimmie had brought so much
bunting and so many flags, that Bee volunteered to go back to the Cecil
and have our clothes packed up by Mrs. Jimmie's maid, while we
decorated the house-boat.

The next morning bright and early we rowed down to the landing for Bee.
Such a change had taken place on the Thames in twenty-four hours! There
were hundreds upon hundreds of row-boats bearing girls in duck and men
in flannels, and a funny sight it was to Americans to see fully half of
them with the man lying at his ease on cushions at the end of the boat,
while the girls did the rowing. English girls are very clever at
punting, and look quite pretty standing up balancing in the boats and
using the long pole with such skill.

It may be sportsmanlike, but it cannot fail to look unchivalrous,
especially to the Southern-born of Americans, to see how willing
Englishmen are to permit their women to wait upon them even _before_
they are married!