it was not too early to go on board the yacht. At any rate,
I would go near where she lay, and judge for myself. I made inquiries of
the innkeeper in regard to Mrs. Raynor's yacht.

"Yacht!" he said. "There's no yacht here."

"You must be mistaken!" I cried. "A yacht belonging to Mrs. Raynor
sailed for Sanpritchit on Saturday, and it was not to leave here until
this morning."

"Sanpritchit!" he exclaimed. "This is not Sanpritchit."

"What do you mean?" I asked in amazement. "That boat was bound direct
for Sanpritchit."

"Captain Jabe's boat?" said the man. "Yes, and so she is. She sails fur
Sanpritchit every Monday mornin', and generally stops here when she's
got any freight ter leave fur the store, though I never knowed her ter
come so airly in the mornin'."

"My conscience!" I exclaimed. "I must get on board of her."

"Aboard of her!" said he. "She's been gone more 'n half an hour. She
don't often stop here more 'n ten minutes, if she's got the tide with
her, which she had this mornin', strong."

XXXV.

MONEY MAKES THE MARE GO.

I rushed out of the Central Hotel, and looked over the water, but I
could see nothing of the grocery boat: she had disappeared beyond the
bluff, behind which I had stupidly taken it for granted Mrs. Raynor's
yacht was lying.

"Oh, she's clean gone," said the bar-keeper, who had joined me, "an'
she's not likely to come back ag'in' wind an' tide. They must have
thought you was asleep in your berth."

This was undoubtedly the truth, for there was no reason to suppose that
any one on the boat knew I had gone on shore.

"Where can I get a boat to follow them?" I cried.

"Can't say exactly," said the man. "We've got a big catboat, but she's
on the stocks gettin' a new stern post put in. You can see her mast
stickin' up over the bluff, there. I don't think there's any other
sailboat in the place jes' now, and Captain Fluke's havin' his fresh
painted. I told him it was a bad time o' the year to do it in; but he's
Captain Fluke, and that's all there's to say about it. There's rowboats;
but Sanpritchit's eight miles from here, and it's a putty long pull
there and back, and I don't know anybody here who'd care to take it. If
ye want to go to Sanpritchit, ye ought to go in a wagon. That's lots the
easiest way."

"Where can I get a horse and vehicle?" I asked quickly, so much enraged
with myself that I was glad to have some one to direct my movements.

"That's more 'n I know, j