nearly nine o'clock
`` May n't I have this one ? '' he pleaded every time after that , but Gladys smilingly declined , saying she had promised every one of the boys a dance and would not get around if she gave him any more , to which he assented politely , fuming inwardly , and wanted Gladys to himself more than ever . `` Bet I do n't get another dance with her to-night , '' he thought crossly , and this was exactly the case , for Nyoda presently suggested lemonade and the dancing stopped . It was nearly nine o'clock by this time , but the boys pleaded so hard for a ride on the lake in the canoes that Nyoda yielded and granted fifteen minutes extra . Ed Roberts took immediate possession of Gladys and led her into his canoe before she had time to say a word . He pushed off before there was time to put any one else in with them , for some of the canoes had to carry four . As they paddled through the moonlit water the girls sang `` Across the Silver 'd Lake '' and by and by the boys added a few bass and tenor notes to it .