less little
tugs, puffing and whistling as they darted, mosquito-like, here and
there, graceful sailing vessels staggering along under clouds of canvas,
stately ocean liners passing majestically out to sea--all this made up a
spectacle of which the eye could never tire.

But both Paula and her escort were too much preoccupied to pay proper
attention to the beauty of their surroundings. The eyes of both were
turned anxiously in the direction of the receding shore.

"It's all right!" said Tod reassuringly, as he lowered the glass. "I
don't see anything of them."

"Thank God for that!" exclaimed his companion, making a great effort to
control her agitation.

"But that Cooley's certainly a bird!" went on the young man. "He guessed
that it was I who put up the job on him. He knew that he could find you
quickest by keeping close at my heels, so he and Jimmy jumped into a red
taxi and shadowed my machine. I threw on all the speed I could, trying
to get away. I went like the very mischief. I knocked over a fruit stand
and nearly killed a policeman. But I couldn't shake them off. The red
taxi was close behind me all the time. Just as I got near to the ferry
the man was raising the draw. I yelled and shook a five-spot in his
face. It worked like a charm. He lowered the drawbridge again, and I
shot across."

His companion gave him a look in which gratitude and admiration mingled.

"How clever you are!" she smiled. "I should never have got away but for
you. I was terribly frightened. When Mrs. Parkes came in and handed me
your note I could have hugged her. I did not lose a minute, but put on
my hat and ran downstairs. Harry Parkes hailed a cab for me, and I
reached the ferry a few minutes before you arrived. I can't tell you how
glad I was to get away. What did those horrible men want with me?"

He made no answer, hardly knowing what answer to make. How could he tell
this intelligent, high-spirited girl, whose mental faculties were every
bit as sound and keen as his own, that her unnatural uncle had sworn out
an affidavit, committing her to the horrors of an insane asylum? The
very idea of it was monstrous. Pretending that he had not heard the
question, he directed Paula's attention to a schooner heavily laden
with lumber which was coming down the river on the swift ebb tide. It
was a pretty sight to see how gracefully she cut through the water.
Notwithstanding the fact that she had only sail for motor power, the
craft was