re afraid my health will suffer. You
must not think of my health. I can not stay with you just for my own
sake."

"Then stay for ours," said Madge shortly, and without further words she
went into the cabin and climbed into her berth.

Sleep was far from weighing down her eyelids. She lay awake for some
time, wondering why clouds and distrust should so often spring up among
human beings when everything seemed arranged for their perfect
happiness.

She generously made up her mind, however, never to trouble their
chaperon with questions about her mysterious visitor, but she
determined to discover for herself who that boy was, and whether he had
come aboard the boat to rob them.

CHAPTER VII

THEIR UNKNOWN JAILER

"Madge Morton, what do you mean sleeping until seven o'clock, the first
morning we are on our houseboat?" cried Phil, poking her head in the
cabin door. "I would have awakened you before now, only Miss Jones
would not let me. Lillian and Eleanor have been waiting for you in
their bathing suits for a long while. Do let's have a salt water
plunge before breakfast."

Springing from her berth, Madge made a dash for her bathing suit, which
she had laid out the night before.

The girls were over the side of the boat in a hurry, swimming about in
the water with gleeful shouts. The odor of frying bacon, which was
presently wafted to their nostrils from the door of the houseboat
kitchen, was something the bathers were too hungry to resist, and with
one accord, they swam toward their boat.

It had been arranged that Miss Jones was to get the breakfast, Lillian
and Eleanor the luncheon, and Phil and Madge, who were the most
ambitious of the cooks, though not the most proficient, were to cook
the dinner.

Madge noticed that Miss Jones looked whiter than usual, but the other
girls saw no difference in their chaperon as they clambered up over the
side of the boat to get ready for breakfast.

"Girls," Miss Jones remarked, as she put down a big plate of corn
muffins before her hungry charges, "Phil accused me once of being
mysterious and never talking about myself. Well, I am going to make a
confession about myself at once."

Madge raised her eyes in surprise. After all, was Miss Jones going to
tell of last night's adventure? But the chaperon was not looking at
her. She was smiling at Phil, Lillian and Eleanor.

"Well, out with it, Miss Jones," laughed Phil. "What is the
confession?"

"It is