we must find! A
regular 'Captain Kidd' sort, you know, so just hurry up--I
mean take it easy, as Auntie advises; but come, and do it
quick! Don't forget to bring the fish. Mrs. Bruce says put
them in a basket and trail them after you, if you come by
boat; or, anyway, try to keep them fresh for breakfast.
Dolly."

"I reckon they'll keep, seeing they aren't caught yet. What fools we
were to go off just then! How do you suppose, in this mortal world,
those women and girls had gumption enough to run away with that
house-boat? I'll bet they did it just to get ahead of _me_, 'cause I'd
said plain enough I wouldn't go to any old hole-in-the-woods. I simply
wouldn't. And I shan't. I'll get passage on one these fruit-scows
going back to Baltimore and quit the whole thing. I will so;" declared
Gerald, fuming about the wharf in a fine rage.

"Got money left for your 'passage?'" asked Jim. He was pondering how
best and soonest to "follow" the Water Lily, as he had been bid. They
were all too tired with their rowing to do any more of it that day,
and his pride shrank from hiring a wagon, for his own convenience,
that he wasn't able to pay for.

"What about your monkey, Gerry?" queried Melvin.

"Oh! I'll--I mean--you take it off my hands till--later."

"No, thank you. I've invested all I can afford in monkeys just now,
don't you know? But I'd sell out, only I do want to give them to her.
She's such a darling of a girl, to entertain us like this. She might
have been born in our Province, I fancy, she's so like a Canadian in
kindness and generosity."

It was a long speech for modest Melvin and an enthusiastic one. He
blushed a little as he felt his comrades' eyes turned teasingly upon
him, but he did not retract his words. He added to them:

"Dorothy Calvert makes me think of my mother, don't you know? And a
girl that does that is an all right sort I fancy. Anyway, I've thought
lots of times, since I found out it was she and not the rich aunt who
was paying the expenses of our jaunt, that it was mighty unselfish of
her to do it. Jim's let that 'cat out the bag.' He was too top-lofty
to take a cent of profit from that mine he discovered last summer for
Mr. Ford, but all the girls were made small shareholders and got three
hundred dollars a-piece for a send-off. Miss Molly, whose father I
work for, put hers right into gew-gaws or nonsense, but I think
Dolly's done better. The least I can do to show