one, then five, and now it's ten. She
seems to think that I ought to know how it happens. She doesn't want to
worry you about it. Of course, I know she is mistaken," cried Madge
indignantly. "She just does not know how much money she had. There
hasn't been a single person on this boat this whole week except our
party."

Miss Jenny Ann looked serious. "Does Miss Taylor suspect any one?" she
asked carelessly, not glancing at Madge.

Madge's cheeks reddened. "Miss Betsey says she does not suspect any one,
but she spoke darkly of poor David Brewster. She says he never took
anything that she knows of when he was on her farm, but that his father
was almost a tramp. He came up to New England from goodness-knows-where,
and every now and then he disappears and is gone for months at a time.
Miss Taylor believes that when Tom ties up our boats in the afternoons,
and David goes off and leaves everybody, it is his vagabond blood
showing in him. Isn't it cruel to make the poor fellow responsible for
his father's sins? I am going to stand up for him through thick and
thin. Coming, Miss Betsey," answered Madge cheerfully, in response to a
call from the tyrannical old spinster.

Miss Jenny Ann remained by herself a few moments longer. She wondered
why Miss Taylor required more attention from poor Madge than she did
from any of the other girls. It was certain that she liked her least.
But Miss Jenny Ann shrewdly suspected that prim Miss Betsey thought that
their impetuous captain needed discipline and had set herself to
administer it to her. About David Brewster Miss Jenny Ann was more
worried. She did not like the lad. No one did. He was the discordant
element in their whole party. Lillian and Eleanor fought shy of him.
Phyllis was kind to him but had little to say to him, and the boys in
the motor launch, except Tom, treated him with a kind of scornful
coolness. The boy was neither a gentleman nor a servant. It was small
wonder that generous-hearted Madge championed him. Miss Jenny Ann
understood, from Madge's allusion to David's father, one reason why
Madge was kind to the boy.

Miss Jenny Ann Jones and Miss Betsey Taylor shared one of the houseboat
staterooms. The four girls, to their great joy, bunked together in the
other.

It was exactly a half hour before Miss Betsey would let Madge come out
on deck again. She wished her money carefully counted and a new place
discovered for concealing it. Madge was strangely patient, for s