the other crew who handles the mainsâl.â
âThey must be awfully roomy boats to carry three people,â commented Diana.
âOh, theyâll hold even more than that,â Peter replied. âTheyâre nineteen feet long and quite beamy, andâIâll tell you what,â he suddenly said. âIf we get the gazebo fairly well cleared out this afternoon, Iâll ask Cap to take his boat, and Iâll take mine and weâll go for a sail tomorrow. How about going out to the abandoned lighthouse?â
âHow perfect!â cried Honey. âLetâs take a quick dip and then get back to work so weâll finish up for sure this afternoon. Iâve never been in a sailboat in my whole life, and Iâm dying to go.â
âWhoops! There goes Honey âdying.â Sheâs getting to be as bad as Trixie,â Brian teased.
Honey chased him into the water, splashing him as she went.
âLetâs race down to the dock at The Moorings and back,â suggested Peter.
âOkay, any special stroke or just freestyle?â asked Honey, who was the best swimmer of the Bob-Whites.
âAnything goes except a dog paddle,â Peter told her. âOn your mark, get set, go!â
Despite her best efforts, Honey, who had been ahead at the turning point, was outdistanced by Peter on the return lap. âYouâre phenomenal, Peter!â she gasped as she climbed the ladder to the dock. âHow do you do it?â
âItâs a tricky little kick I learned last summer,â Peter answered. âCome on in again and Iâll show you.â They dived in, and after Honey had mastered the secret, she and Peter swam together in beautiful form. Trixie and the others clapped their hands in admiration as the two returned to the dock, shaking the water from their faces and hair. Then they all hurriedly dressed and ran back to the garden to have lunch beside the lily pool.
Chapter 7
The Gazebo
By four oâclock the lovely little octagonal gazebo had been freed of the encroaching vines. The original paint had begun to peel in places, but it was not in bad condition. The vines had probably served as protection from the weather, but the steps were quite rotten and one of the delicate supporting columns was broken off completely. It was a great surprise when they uncovered a weather vane on top of the pointed roof, a copper boat under full sail.
âIsnât that darling?â sang out Diana, stepping back to admire it. âDo you suppose it works?â
âThere isnât enough wind now to tell,â answered Peter. âA little oil will probably get it going again if itâs stuck.â
While the others were talking about the vane, Trixie and Jim had been looking around the inside of the gazebo to see how much work would really be necessary to get it in shape for the party. Jim was examining the broken column when he heard the sound of breaking wood and a cry from Trixie. Turning quickly around, hesaw that a floor board had given way and one of Trixieâs legs had gone through and was caught in the hole.
As the others came running to see what had happened, Jim, who had caught hold of Trixie so she wouldnât lose her balance, yelled, âPeter, pull up the board next to this broken one so she can get her leg out. Does it hurt, Trixie?â he asked solicitously.
âNot much,â she answered. âIt just stings a little around the ankle. Thatâs all.â
The board came up more easily than they had expected, and Trixie, stepping gingerly out of the hole, said, âThatâs funny. It doesnât look as though either of those boards had been nailed down.â
âOh, donât worry about the floor now,â said Honey, putting an arm around Trixieâs waist and helping her to one of the seats built around the inside of the gazebo.
âTake a look at this ankle, Brian,â said Jim, as he knelt down