ing a livery stable
nowadays."

"There's only one thing that still puzzles me," Tish observed: "granting
that the grocery order was a grocery order, what about the note?"

We might have followed this line of thought, and saved what occurred
later, but that a new idea suddenly struck Tish. She is curious in that
way; her mind works very rapidly at times, and because I cannot take her
mental hurdles, so to speak, she is often impatient.

"Lizzie," she said suddenly, "did you notice that when the anchor was
lifted, we drifted directly to this island? Don't stare at me like that.
Use your wits."

When I failed instantly to understand, however, she turned abruptly and
left me, disappearing in the shadows.

For the next hour nothing happened. Tish was not in sight and Aggie
slept by the fire. Hutchins sat with her chin cupped in her hands, and
Mr. McDonald gathered driftwood.

Hutchins only spoke once. "I'm awfully sorry about the canoe, Miss
Lizzie," she said; "it was silly and--and selfish. I don't always act
like a bad child. The truth is, I'm rather upset and nervous. I hate to
be thwarted--I'm sorry I can't explain any further."

I was magnanimous. "I'm sure, until to-night, you've been perfectly
satisfactory," I said; "but it seems extraordinary that you should
dislike men the way you do."

She only eyed me searchingly.

It is my evening custom to prepare for the night by taking my switch off
and combing and braiding my hair; so, as we seemed to be settled for the
night, I asked Mr. McDonald whether the camp afforded an extra comb. He
brought out a traveling-case at once from the tent and opened it.

"Here's a comb," he said. "I never use one. I'm sorry this is all I can
supply."

My eyes were glued to the case. It was an English traveling-case, with
gold-mounted fittings. He saw me staring at it and changed color.

"Nice bag, isn't it?" he said. "It was a gift, of course. The--the
livery stable doesn't run much to this sort of thing."

But the fine edge of suspicion had crept into my mind again.

* * * * *

Tish did not return to the fire for some time. Before she came back we
were all thoroughly alarmed. The island was small, and a short search
convinced us that she was not on it!

We wakened Aggie and told her, and the situation was very painful. The
launch was where we had left it. Mr. McDonald looked more and more
uneasy.

"My sane mind tells me she's perfectly s