nario. She waited for Mr. Hammond to express his opinion
of it.

At the camp she found a letter for her from the doctor's wife who had
promised to keep her informed regarding Arabella Montague Fitzmaurice
Pike. That young person was doing well and getting fat at the Perkins'
farm. But Mrs. Holmes was quite sure that she had not heard from her
father.

"You've got another half-orphan on your hands, Ruth," said Helen. She made
it a point always to object to Ruth's charities. "I don't believe that man
will ever show up again. If he went away with a medicine show----"

"No, no," said Ruth firmly. "No child would ever respect and love her
father as Bella does if he was not good to her. He will turn up."

Just then Tom called from outside the door of the girls' shack.

"What say to a moonlight dip off the Point?" he asked. "The tide is not
very low. And I missed my splash this morning."

"We're with you, Tommy," responded his sister. "Wait till we get into
bathing suits."

Even Ruth was enthusiastic--to a degree--over this. In twenty minutes they
were running up the beach with Tom and Henri toward the end of the Point.

"Let's go over and get the surf," suggested Jennie. "I do love surf
bathing. All you have to do is to bob up and down in one place."

"Heavy is lazy even in her sport," scoffed Helen. "But I'm game for the
rough stuff."

They crossed the neck of land near the hermit's hut. There was a hard
beach almost in front of the hut, and up this the breakers rolled and
foamed delightfully. The so-called hermit, hearing their voices, came out
and sat on a rock to watch them. But he did not offer to speak until Ruth
went over to him.

"Mr. Hammond let me read your script, John," she said coldly.

"Indeed?" he rejoined without emotion.

"Where did you get the idea for that scenario?"

He tapped his head with a long forefinger. "Right inside of that skull. I
do my own thinking," he said.

"You did not have any help about it? You originated the idea of 'Plain
Mary?'"

He nodded. "You ain't the only person who can write a picture," he
observed. "And I think that this one they are filming for you is silly."

Ruth stared down at him, but said nothing more. She was ready to go back
to camp as soon as the others would, and she remained very silent. Mr.
Hammond had been asking for her, Miss Loder said. When Ruth had got into
something more presentable than a wet bathing suit, she went to his
office.

"What do