Tarquin had gone away to boarding school for the first time, and the next time they met at their summer homes, Tarquin had brought a friend from his new school with him, Edward. However, they had a temporary falling out when Tarquin was 13 years old.
Tarquin was three years older than Pindar, but they were still close friends. Pindar explains that he and his best friend when he was a kid, Tarquin (another of the words on the rock), were the ones responsible for the inscription on the rock. “Pindar” was one of the words in the inscription on the rock. Pindar still has their old car, so he can sometimes go into town for things they need. There was enough furniture and old clothes left there for the two of them, and it suits them. Her brother, Pindar, also wanted to retire somewhere quiet, so they decided to go live in their family’s old summer house. After her husband died, she didn’t have much money, and she remembered that the house at the former lake was still there. Cheever why she’s there, and she says that she used to live somewhere else. The woman introduces herself as Minehaha Cheever. She invites them to come inside her house, and the children find themselves in a cluttered and chaotic parlor with each wall covered in a different kind of wall paper. The old lady is surprised to see them but welcomes them, saying that it’s been a long time since she has seen children. They find an old woman in old-fashioned clothing, listening to a radio. The children wonder who lives in the house and decide to find out. He hasn’t heard of a lake in the area, but he and his parents haven’t lived in the area for long. Thinking about it more, Julian says that the swamp was probably once a pond or a lake, and that’s why it had houses and a rowboat. Taking a closer look at the houses, they notice that one seems to be in better condition than the others that it has animals and a garden, so someone must be living there. The children think it’s funny because no ghost would say something like that. Strangely, the voice is repeating an advertisement for medicine for indigestion. Portia finds it a little creepy, but Julian wants to get a better look. The children wonder why those houses are there on the edge of swamp. The houses are in bad condition, but the kids can see that they were built in elaborate Victorian styles. Then, they spot a row of old, abandoned houses.
Strangely, they stumble over an old rowboat.
They follow a brook and find themselves in a swampy area. They aren’t too worried because they don’t need to be back soon. They explore the countryside further, getting lost.
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