ould do _nothing_ with her; and the girls are leaving us
to-morrow. They go back to Rotterdam, where they expect to find Starr's
aunt, and, they hope, a skipper for the motor-boat. Cousin Helen asked
if I could recommend a suitable man; but even if I knew one, I should
not make it easier for her to flout the wishes of the family."

"Naturally not," said I, with the sort of fellow-feeling for Robert
which makes one wondrous kind. And I was sure that if I were Miss Van
Buren's cousin, and had set myself against her doing a certain thing,
she would not have done it.

"However, they are returning to Rotterdam early in the morning, and that
being the case, as I was saying, I don't see how it will be possible for
you to meet my cousin."

"I bet that I will meet her, and be properly introduced, too, before
either of us is a week older," said I, and then was sorry I had clothed
my resolve in such crude words. But it was too late to explain or
apologize, for at that instant two or three men came up. The thought of
what I had blurted out lay heavy on my mind afterwards, and if it had
not seemed a far-fetched and even school-missish thing to do, I would
have sent a line to Robert asking him to erase that clumsy and
impertinent boast from his memory. If he is stupid enough or awkward
enough to repeat anything of our conversation, and give Miss Van Buren
the impression that I tried to make a wager concerning her, it will be
all up with me, I know.

As it is, I can only hope that my words will go out at one ear as fast
as they went in at the other.

Next morning I had made no definite plan of action, but thought that as
Miss Van Buren was going to Rotterdam, it could do no harm for me to go
to Rotterdam too, and see what would happen next. Things of some sort
were bound to happen, and one way or other my chance might come before
she started on her journey.

My mother is at Chateau Liliendaal, the place where she likes best to
spend July and August when we don't run over to England; but she didn't
expect me to join her for some days, and meanwhile I was free to do as I
chose.

I was in hopes that I might see Miss Van Buren in the train, if I took
the most popular one in the morning; but she and her stepsister were not
on board, so I fancied Robert must be driving them back in the borrowed
car, despite his objections to their proceedings.

I went straight to the Rowing Club, where I have several friends, and as
I knew from Ro