attracted her, even if his face was smeary with orange juice and streaked
with dirty finger marks. She wanted to ask more about Captain Kidd, but
her acquaintance with boys was as slight as with dogs. Overcome by a
sudden shyness she threw her rope over her head and went skipping on down
the boardwalk to meet the Towncrier.

The boy stood up and looked after her. He wished she hadn't been in such
a hurry. It had been the longest morning he ever lived through. Having
arrived only the day before with his father to visit at the bungalow he
hadn't yet discovered what there was for a boy to do in this strange
place. Everybody had gone off and left him with the servants, and told
him to play around till they got back. It wouldn't be long, they said,
but he had waited and waited until he felt he had been looking out to sea
from the top of those green steps all the days of his life. Of course, he
wouldn't want to play with just a girl, but----

He watched the pink dress go fluttering on, and then he saw Georgina take
the bell away from the old man as if it were her right to do so. She
turned and walked along beside him, tinkling it faintly as she talked. He
wished he had a chance at it. He'd show her how loud he could make it
sound.

"Notice," called the old man, seeing faces appear at some of the windows
they were passing. "Lost, a black leather bill-case----"

The boy, listening curiously, slid down the steps until he reached the
one on which the dog was sitting, and put his arm around its neck. The
banister posts hid him from the approaching couple. He could hear
Georgina's eager voice piping up flute-like: