Page:Leah Reed--Brenda's summer at Rockley.djvu/128

114 “Dear me! did you ever see such a collection of canned things. Green peas, sardines, mushrooms, caviare! How extravagant those boys are! They ought to live on hard tack and corned beef,” cried Nora, as she poked among  the things stowed away under the transom-seats.

“Not much! corned beef, indeed!” exclaimed Philip. “We’d have shown you something very different from that at luncheon to-day. But what do you really think of the ‘Balloon’?” The question was so evidently addressed  to Julia, that she very naturally replied to it.

“It’s beautiful. It makes me think of a doll’s house, it’s so complete.” She glanced with approval from the  roof, finished in mahogany, to the pale green carpet that  harmonized so well with the corduroy coverings of the  transom-seats.

Brenda, meanwhile, continued opening various locker doors, and Amy and Nora repeatedly expressed their amazement when they saw how closely things were stowed away. Every bit of space had been cleverly utilized, and all kinds of little conveniences made their appearance in unexpected  places.

Back of the transoms were lockers where pillows and bedding were kept, and Philip showed how two good beds  could be made up by pulling out the transom, and spreading flat the cushions at the back.

“But you often have a guest, and where in the world do you put him?” asked Nora.

“Oh! we have an air mattress, and we lay it just in the middle of the floor. If our visitor does n’t like that, we