houseboat, had long
since blown away. Half a dozen chairs romped and rioted about the deck,
turning somersaults, now and then hurling themselves against the
railing or the sides of the cabin. The girls could only faintly see one
another's faces.

Phil had a small fog horn, through which she blew as long as her breath
held out. Then she passed it to Lillian and so down the line. The five
women sat with their backs to the cabin wall for the sake of the scanty
shelter. Eleanor rang a large dinner bell, which she had used on other
occasions to summon the houseboat party to their meals.

For an hour they waited, in silence save for sounds made by the bell
and the horn. Now and then one of the girls cried out for help. But
most of the time they stared out on the water, hoping, expecting every
instant to see some other craft. The dawn was long in breaking because
of the fury of the storm.

Miss Jenny Ann began to think that the houseboat had drifted a much
longer time than she had at first supposed. They were certainly in
dangerous waters. Never in her life had she seen the breakers roll so
high. It was a marvel that the "Merry Maid" did not capsize. She and
the girls fully realized their danger. Yet no one of them made any
outcry.

The girls were growing very tired. Now and then one of them fell asleep
for a brief instant.

Over and over again in Madge's head, as she sat among her friends, so
pale and silent, came the sound of the congregation singing in the
little stone church near "Forest House":

"Oh, hear us, when we call to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!"

The words brought comfort to her now.

When dawn came the storm abated. But with the passing of the storm came
another and a greater danger to the "Merry Maid." A heavy fog settled
down on the water. It was hardly possible to see more than a few feet
ahead. No ship's crew could discover the poorly lighted craft in such a
thick, impenetrable fog.

Phyllis owned a small compass. She could tell that their boat was
moving southeast. The wind was at their back. It was strange that they
had been able to signal no other ships. It could not be possible that
they had been blown out to sea!

It must have been nearly eight o'clock when Miss Jenny Ann went into
the cabin, leaving the four girls to keep the watch. They were sick and
faint. Presently the delicious aroma of boiling coffee floated out on
the fog-laden atmosphere.

Miss Jenny Ann summoned