er
elbow quickly steadied her.

Then the boy of whom Miss Betsey entertained such unpleasant suspicions,
the "ne'er-do-weel" of the community, took charge of the situation with
a dignity that surprised even Madge, who believed in him.

"I think it will be best for me to notify Dr. Alden of what has
happened. I will telephone him, then drive over and bring him back. It
will be better not to let Mrs. Alden know that the children fell into
the well. Dr. Alden can look them over. As your mother is recovering
from a long illness, she must not be worried or frightened. What do you
think of my plan, Miss Alden?"

Phyllis quite approved of the suggestion. She looked at David almost
wonderingly. Was this resolute, self-contained young man the surly,
unapproachable boy she had always disliked to encounter when calling
upon Miss Betsey? She awoke to a tardy realization that whatever faults
David Brewster possessed, they were merely on the surface, and that at
heart he was a good man and true. And although David never knew it, on
that day he made another friend whose friendship was destined to prove
as faithful as that of Madge Morton.

That night as the two chums, wrapped in their kimonos, were having a
comfortable little session together before going to bed, Phyllis said
thoughtfully, "Do you know, Madge, I think David Brewster is splendid. I
am afraid I have misjudged him."

"Phil," said Madge with conviction, "David is a man, and I am sure he is
good and true at heart, no matter how gruff he may seem on the surface.
I asked Tom to take him with us on the trip, and now that he has
consented to go, I feel as though I were responsible for him. I know
Miss Betsey believes him to be sneaking and undependable. So far,
however, I have seen nothing about him that looks suspicious, and I do
not believe him to be a sneak. I trust David now, and I am going to keep
on trusting him."

CHAPTER V

PULLING UP ANCHOR FOR NEW SCENES

A motor boat ploughed restlessly about near the broad mouth of the
Rappahannock River. It flew a red and white pennant, with the initials
of the owner, "T. C.," emblazoned on it. The name of the boat, "Sea
Gull," was painted near the stern. It was a trim little craft with a
fair-sized cabin amidships and was capable of making eight knots an hour
at its highest speed.

"Toot, toot, toot, chug, chug, chug!" the whistle blew and the engine
thumped. The captain stood with his hand on the wheel, gazin