spoke under her breath. Half an hour had passed

her at her gate after having stubbornly ref

er crowd alone. I did not believe to-night, until the last minute, that y

d to be shocked," she sneered, "and never mind lecturing me. Are you go

ullenly, edging away from Miss Harris. "I think Miss Morton and her friends have had t

that you offered Jimmy thousands of dollars for his patent, and advised him to sell out to you, and then to tell the Government that he had failed with his model. It would ruin not only your reputation, Alfred Thornton, for me to t

forehead nervously with his handkerchief, though it was a cool ni

if you had not developed such a liking for Madge Morton. You thought you were managing so cleverly that I would not n

ton flushed

aptain Robert Morton, I remembered hearing Miss Butler telling Mrs. Curtis when the 'Merry Maid' girls were here before that Miss Morton's father had been an officer in the Navy, and that his name was Captain Robert Morton. Miss Butler is Miss Morton's cousin, you know. They live in the same house. When I heard that I put two and two together and took a chance on saying what I did. Now that you know the whole sto

a dark night. The stars had disappeared.

heavy anchor tied with a thick rope. As an additional safeguard the stern hawser had been hitched about a post several yards up the beach out of the line of the ti

at had happened. A glance at Madge's face was enough to reveal to her that it had been serious. The little captain sat white and cold as a statue. She looked like the ghost of the radiant girl who had crossed the bay a few hours

ar girl, we are all with you. Don't you worry. Just leave matters to me. I'll see that Flo

night to Tom when he too

ck of their own boat she turn

appened to-night. I can't talk of it now. May I lie down on the

t. Eleanor kept her head buried in her chaperon's lap. She cried a little, partly from s

illian told wh

lian's recital. "We must not talk to her of this insult to h

ught came to her that they had lingered too long aboard their houseboat. It was getting late in September. Any day they might be overtaken by an equinoctial storm. She wished that they had brought more coal and fresh wate

on her dressing gown and lay down in her berth to think

le Miss Jones heard a faint sound. It came from their

d Madge still lying on the sofa, a li

lse, but I have come to the place where I feel that I ought to talk things over with some one I can tr

I know of no one else whose confidence I should so pri

ry of her discovery in the attic of the secret drawer and its contents, and of how the vow

peron still sat beside her in sympathetic silence. She recognized the nobility of Madge's sacrifice. The girl's w

ny Ann said at last. "In fact, I am sure

er would wish me to keep his s

" responded the chaperon,

all my father's suffering will come to a realization of his own unworthiness and clear my father's name. I

nny Ann fervently. "Now you mustn't grieve any more, d

t down to kiss M

s. Curtis in the morning and apologize to her for leaving the p

d not foresee, Madge's apology

sea launch for his use during the evening of their play, and as his boat rushed along through the

task ahead of him. Yet he moved doggedly toward it. He must save his own and his father's reputation, perhaps his fortune! There was no reason for him

he cruel story that Flora Harris had told. Of course, it must be false. Yet the girl would hardly have dared to tell such a tale unless a grain of

his stocking feet. He waded in the water the greater part of the time, so as not to leave the imprint of his feet in the sand. A storm was blowing in from the ocean. The singing sound of the wind came over the face of the waters. Alfred knew that

"Merry Maid" lay quietly at anchor, although the waves were beginning to lash against her sides with more than their accu

rope would look as though it had broken apart. There still remained the second rope that was twisted around the stake. Alfred crept cautiously out of the water up the little stretch of beach. This was his moment of danger. Any one looking through one of the cabin windows might see his dark figure. Yet Thornton hesitated. The wind was

ke that Harris girl home. She kept me talking on her porch for ages. A storm was coming up and it was hard to

new freedom. The way outside was strange and uncertain. The "Merry Maid" had never traveled from a safe anchorage except when s

t the "Merry Maid" was not unstable. The bottom of the boat was flat, she was broad and roomy. She did not pitch and r

antic Ocean enters the Chesapeake Bay. Slowly but steadily the "Merry Maid" drifted down the Maryland coast. Once out on the dee

w-shaded lamps went out. The

ded from her deck, the little boat would soon have been rescued. But with no lights and no sounds aboard,