rnabas, go and get her."

Mr. Pennefather, who seemed cowed into a state of profound
submissiveness, huddled his waterproof round him and went to Lady
Isabel. She was hammering an extra peg through the loop of one of the
guy lines of the further tent.

"Why do you suppose she did it?" said Priscilla. "I couldn't find that
out. It's very hard to imagine why anybody marries anybody else. I often
sit and wonder for hours. But it's totally impossible in this case----"

"Perhaps he preaches very well," said Frank. "That might have attracted
her."

"Couldn't possibly," said Priscilla. "No girl--at the same time, of
course, she has, which shows there must have been some reason. I say,
Cousin Frank, she must be absolutely mad with me. She's dragged Barnabas
into the other tent. Rather a poor lookout for me, considering that I
shall have to sleep with her. There's the _Tortoise_ again. It is the
_Tortoise_. There's no mistake about it this time."

The rain squall had blown over. The _Tortoise_, now plainly visible, was
tearing across the foam-flecked stretch of water between Inishrua and
Knockilaun. Priscilla ran to the other tent.

"Lady Isabel," she said, "if you want to see your father drowned you'd
better come out."

Lady Isabel scrambled to the door of her tent and stood, her hair and
clothes blown violently, gazing wildly round her. Mr. Pennefather,
looking abjectly miserable, crawled after her and remained on his hands
and knees at her side.

"Where's father?" she said.

"In that boat," said Priscilla, "but he won't be drowned. I only said he
would so as to get you out of your tent."

The _Tortoise_ stooped forwards and swept along, the water foaming at
her bow and leaping angrily at her weather quarter. A fiercer squall
than usual rushed at her from the western corner of Inishrua as she
cleared the island. She swerved to windward, her boom stretched far out
to the starboard side dipped suddenly and dragged through the water.
She paid off again before the wind in obedience to a strong pull on the
tiller. Priscilla grew excited in watching the progress of the boat.

"Barnabas," she said, "give me your glasses, quick. I know you have a
pair, for I saw you watching us through them that day on Inishark."

Mr. Pennefather had the glasses slung across his shoulder in the leather
case. He handed them to Priscilla. The squall increased in violence. The
whole sea grew white with foam. A sudden drift of fine spray, bl