ost unfortunate it should be fixed
upon you. I always told the girls you were innocent."

"I don't think many of them believed it was mine."

"A few did, or at any rate pretended they did. Well, I'll set it all
straight when I get back to school. It'll be hateful to tell Miss
Harper, but it's the one thing I can do to make up, and I will."

Another half-hour had passed, and a slight breeze blowing from the sea
began at length to disperse the fog, which, thinning a little, revealed
the outline of the cliffs on the landward side. The sun had long ago
set, but still showed such a bright glow on the western horizon, that it
was light enough to see that the sandbank was almost clear, and the
water flowing from it in broad channels.

"I think we might leave our rock now," said Patty. "Perhaps if we wade
we could reach the shore before it gets quite dark. Can you manage if I
help you?"

Muriel climbed painfully down, and taking Patty's arm, began to limp her
way over the sands.

"It's half-past ten," she said, "and our train was to leave at half-past
six. All the others will have gone home ages ago. I don't know what we
must do, even if we get to land."

"Somebody's sure to be waiting for us," said Patty. "Why, I believe I
can see a boat over there in the distance. Look! To your left, where the
mist is blowing away."

"It is!" exclaimed Muriel, in much excitement. "A fishing boat, with
three men in it. Let us call as loudly as we can."

The two girls joined in a wild "Halloo!" and to their great relief were
at once answered by a shout in reply. The boat turned her course and
made for the sandbank, and in a few minutes a bronzed old seaman had
leaped over the gunwale and waded through the channel to their rescue.

"Why, little misses, you've got yourselves in a fine fix!" he said, by
way of greeting. "Here we've bin a-lookin' for you for a matter of four
hours; just hangin' about in the fog, we was, and shoutin' every now and
then on the off chance of your hearin' us. I ne'er thought we'd find you
safe and sound, I didn't. Bin up the rock, you say? Ay, them rocks is
never covered. If I'd only knowed you was there! We'd a' seen you long
since, if it hadn't a' bin for the fog."

He lifted Muriel in his arms, and, carrying her as easily as if she had
been a baby, waded with her to the boat, returning afterwards for Patty.

"You're nigh dead beat, both on you," he said, sympathetically. "It's
give you a rare fright, I