A new world opened to her eyes as they came out upon the pebbly beach full of people enjoying their afternoon promenade . Jill save one rapturous `` Oh ! '' and then sat on her stool , forgetting everything but the beautiful blue ocean rolling away to meet the sky , with nothing to break the wide expanse but a sail here and there , a point of rocks on one hand , the little pier on the other , and white gulls skimming by on their wide wings . While she sat enjoying herself , Jack showed his mother the place he had found , and a very nice one it was . Just under the green bank lay an old boat propped up with some big stones . A willow drooped over it , the tide rippled up within a few yards of it , and a fine view of the waves could be seen as they dashed over the rocks at the point . `` Is n't it a good cubby-house ? Ben Cox and I fixed it for Jill , and she can have it for hers . Put her cushions and things there on the sand the children have thrown in -- that will make it soft ; then these seats will do for tables ; and up in the bow I 'm going to have that old rusty tin boiler full of salt-water , so she can put seaweed and crabs and all sorts of chaps in it for an aquarium , you know , '' explained Jack , greatly interested in establishing his family comfortably before he left them . `` There could n't be a nicer place , and it is very kind of you to get it ready . Spread the shawls and settle Jill , then you need n't think of us any more , but go and scramble with Frank . I see him over there with his spy-glass and some pleasant-looking boys , '' said Mamma , bustling about in great spirits . So the red cushions were placed , the plaids laid , and the little work-basket set upon the seat , all ready for Jill , who was charmed with her nest , and cuddled down under the big parasol , declaring she would keep house there every day . Even the old boiler pleased her , and Jack raced over the beach to begin his search for inhabitants for the new aquarium , leaving Jill to make friends with some pretty babies digging in the sand , while Mamma sat on the camp-stool and talked with a friend from Harmony Village . It seemed as if there could not be anything more delightful than to lie there lulled by the sound of the sea , watching the sunset and listening to the pleasant babble of little voices close by . But when they went to tea in the great hall , with six tables full of merry people , and half a dozen maids flying about , Jill thought that was even better , because it was so new to her . Gerty and Wally nodded to her , and their pretty mamma was so kind and so gay , that Jill could not feel bashful after the first few minutes , and soon looked about her , sure of seeing friendly faces everywhere . Frank and Jack ate as if the salt air had already improved their appetites , and talked about Bacon and Cox as if they had been bosom friends for years . Mamma was as happy as they , for her friend , Mrs. Hammond , sat close by ; and this rosy lady , who had been a physician , cheered her up by predicting that Jill would soon be running about as well as ever . But the best of all was in the evening , when the elder people gathered in the parlors and played Twenty Questions , while the children looked on for an hour before going to bed , much amused at the sight of grown people laughing , squabbling , dodging , and joking as if they had all become young again ; for , as every one knows , it is impossible to help lively skirmishes when that game is played .
XXXXX lay in the sofa corner enjoying it all immensely ; for she never saw anything so droll , and found it capital fun to help guess the thing , or try to puzzle the opposite side .
Gerty Hammond Jill Mamma gulls hour left salt-water spy-glass years