d when she got there. Neither of
the portage men was to be seen, although both the Selincourt boats
were drawn up side by side on the beach near the fish shed. The
office was locked and the key gone. Katherine looked round in
despair and shouted at the top of her voice for help. Surely
someone must be within hearing distance, although the place looked
entirely devoid of life, except for some fishing boats a mile or
two out from shore, and beating into harbour against the strong
wind, which was blowing half a gale, perhaps more.

The shouts brought Mrs. Jenkin to the door of her house, with an
ailing babe tucked under her arm and two small children clinging to
her ragged skirt.

"Dear, dear, Miss Radford, what is the matter? Why, you look just
awful!" exclaimed the good woman, jogging the wailing babe up and
down, to still its fretful complaining.

"I can't find anyone, Mrs. Jenkin, and I want help so badly. Where
are all the men? Miss Selincourt has hurt her foot out on the
rocks beyond the fish-flakes, and I am afraid she may be caught by
the tide before she can be rescued," Katherine said anxiously.

"Dear, dear, what is to be done? I don't believe there is a man
about the place, unless it is Oily Dave. Mr. Ferrars went away in
his boat at dawn, and I don't know that he is back yet. I'd go
with you myself, dear, but I can't leave the babies," Mrs. Jenkin
said, with so much concern and sympathy that Katherine gulped down
something closely related to a sob before replying.

"Will you find Oily Dave and tell him to come on after me as fast
as he can? Tell him there is money in the job, then perhaps he
will hurry. If any more men come, send them on after me. And do
have a kettle of water boiling, so that we can give Miss Selincourt
a cup of coffee or something when we get her back here," said
Katherine, then hurried away, the coil of rope flung over her arm,
the dog following close at her heels.

It was a long way over a rough track to the rocks. The easier and
shorter process would have been to go round by boat, if only there
had been quieter water and less wind; but she knew very well that
it would take more strength than her one pair of arms possessed to
row a boat through such a sea, so she was forced to take the
landward route.

When she reached the fish-flakes it was as much as she could do to
stand against the wind, and in crossing the headland her pace was
of the slowest. She had expected