utchins."

"What made you start out without looking?"

"And send the vandals away. If they wait until I arrive, I'll be likely
to do them some harm. I have never been so outraged."

"Let me go for gasoline in the canoe," said Mr. McDonald. He leaned over
the thwart and addressed Hutchins. "You're worn out," he said. "I
promise to come back and be a perfectly well-behaved prisoner again."

"Thanks, no."

"I'm wet. The exercise will warm me."

"Is it possible," she said in a withering tone that was lost on us at
the time, "that you brought no dumb-bells with you?"

If we had had any doubts they should have been settled then; but we
never suspected. It is incredible, looking back.

The dusk was falling and I am not certain of what followed. It was,
however, something like this: Mr. McDonald muttered something angrily
and made a motion to get into the canoe. Hutchins replied that she would
not have help from him if she died for it. The next thing we knew she
was in the launch and the canoe was floating off on the current. Aggie
squealed; and Mr. McDonald, instead of swimming after the thing, merely
folded his arms and looked at it.

"You know," he said to Hutchins, "you have so unpleasant a disposition
that somebody we both know of is better off than he thinks he is!"

Tish's fury knew no bounds, for there we were marooned and two of us wet
to the skin. I must say for Hutchins, however, that when she learned
about Aggie she was bitterly repentant, and insisted on putting her own
sweater on her. But there we were and there we should likely stay.

It was quite dark by that time, and we sat in the launch, rocking
gently. The canoeing party had lighted a large fire on the beach, using
the driftwood we had so painfully accumulated.

We sat in silence, except that Tish, who was watching our camp, said
once bitterly that she was glad there were three beds in the tent. The
girls of the canoeing party would be comfortable.

After a time Tish turned on Mr. McDonald sharply. "Since you claim to be
no spy," she said, "perhaps you will tell us what brings you alone to
this place? Don't tell me it's fish--I've seen you reading, with a line
out. You're no fisherman."

He hesitated. "No," he admitted. "I'll be frank, Miss Carberry. I did
not come to fish."

"What brought you?"

"Love," he said, in a low tone. "I don't expect you to believe me, but
it's the honest truth."

"Love!" Tish scoffed.

"Perhaps I'd better te