d she was really and truly starting,
Roderick suddenly realised that Lawyer Ed was not on board. Now a
Scotchman's picnic without Lawyer Ed was an absurd and unthinkable
thing, beside which Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark would have
seemed perfectly reasonable and natural. He ran to the captain, but
there were several ahead of him with the dire news. For the
_Inverness_ had no sooner begun to move from the wharf than the awful
truth had dawned upon a dozen folk at once. They had rushed from three
directions and attacked the captain and Young Peter and the Ancient
Mariner and demanded of them what they meant by such outrageous
conduct. Very much abashed by her mistake the _Inverness_ came surging
back, the captain taking refuge in the Gaelic to express his dismay.
They were just in time, for there he was tearing down the street in his
buggy, Miss Annabel Armstrong and Mrs. Captain Willoughby squeezed in
beside him and the horse going at such a breakneck pace that the dust
and stones flew up on every side and there was danger that they would
drive right into the lake. They stopped just on the brink. Lawyer Ed
leaped out, flung the lines to a lounger on the dock bidding him take
the horse back to the stable, helped the ladies alight, and had rushed
them on board before the gang-plank could be put in place. The crowd
cheered, and he waved his hat and shouted with laughter, over the
narrow escape; but the ladies looked a little ruffled. They had not
intended to come to the picnic; the day of private launches and
motor-cars was dawning over Algonquin, and these public picnics were
not in favour among the best people, therefore Mrs. Captain Willoughby
had felt that she did not care to go, and the Misses Armstrong had felt
they did not dare to go. But Lawyer Ed did not approve of social
distinctions of any sort whatever, and he was determined that the best
people should come out and have a good time like the worst. So he had
gone right into the enemy's camp and carried off two of the leaders
captive, and here they were half-laughing and half-annoyed and
explaining carefully to their friends how they had not had the
slightest intention of coming in such a mixed crowd but that dreadful
man just made them.

Once more the _Inverness_ gave her last agonised shriek, the captain
shouted to the Ancient Mariner to get away there, for what was he doing
whatever, and with a great deal of fussing and steaming and whistling