ott!" cried Jimmy Lawton for the second time that evening. "Do
you mean you have kept this box for me through shipwreck and every
other kind of disaster? What a girl you are, Miss Alden! I never meant
to speak of it to you."

With shaking hands the young man opened the box. Inside the pasteboard
box was a wooden one. Lieutenant Jimmy lifted out as perfect a little
toy boat as ever was seen. It was complete in every detail. Lieutenant
Jimmy was not ashamed of the fact that his eyes were full of tears as
he looked gratefully at Phil.

"It is the exact copy of the model of the torpedo-boat destroyer that
was stolen from me," he explained to the girls. "I gave it to Miss
Alden to keep for me, because I feared foul play."

Jimmy hugged his tiny boat as though it were his baby. Then he replaced
it carefully in its accustomed box. For a time the little party had
forgotten that they were waiting to be attacked by two angry men. When
Jimmy put his boat away the thought rushed over them again: if only the
men would hurry on! Anything was better than this waiting.

Lillian must have been half asleep. She started from her chair with a
little cry. Miss Jenny Ann touched her gently. "I thought some one
knocked on the door, Miss Jenny Ann," faltered Lillian. "It frightened
me. I wish we were at home. Doesn't every one of us in this little
lodge to-night wish we were safely away from here?"

"Yes, Lillian," answered Miss Jones gently.

"Don't we wish that we never had seen those wicked men who held
Lieutenant Lawton a prisoner?" she went on. The other girls were now
gazing at Lillian as though they suspected that she had suddenly lost
her mind.

"Lieutenant Lawton, wouldn't you give most anything, run nearly any
chance, if you could get back to Washington in a few days?" she
persisted.

Jimmy nodded, feeling sure that Lillian was less clever than her
friends.

"Very well," continued Lillian, "then I, for one, vote that we follow
Phil's idea, and leave this place the first thing in the morning."

"But how, child," demanded Madge impatiently. She had completely
forgotten Phil's suggestion of a few evenings before.

"Why, embark on the 'Merry Maid' again, drift out to sea and trust to a
ship's picking us up. The tide goes out at five. We had better go out
with it. We shall starve to death if we stay here much longer. We have
not even enough to eat for breakfast."

Lieutenant Lawton gazed at Phil, without making any effort t