in holding the pencil.

The boat made its way through the fleet till it reached the shallow
water which they had to cross on their way to the shore. Here, with
the exception of a few small craft, the water was clear of yachts.

Suddenly the long line of lights along the shore disappeared, and
something thick, heavy and soft fell over Bertha's head. An arm was
thrown round her, and Anna pressed tightly against her. In vain she
struggled. There was a faint, strange smell, and she lost
consciousness.

An hour passed without her return to the yacht, and Lady Greendale
began to fear that she had found Frank too ill to leave, and had
forgotten to send Anna back with the message. At last she touched
the bell.

"Will you tell the captain that I want to speak to him?"

"Captain," she said. "I am much alarmed about Major Mallett. That
boat that came off here an hour ago brought a note for my daughter,
saying that he had been hurt, and she went ashore with her maid to
see him. She said that she would be back in a short time, and that
if she found that he was badly hurt she would send her maid back
with a message to me. She has been gone for more than an hour, and
I wish you would take a boat and go ashore, find out how the Major
is, and bring me back word at once. He is at Dr. Maddison's. You
know the house."

The skipper hurried away with a serious face. A little more than a
minute after he had left the cabin Lady Greendale heard the rattle
of the blocks of the falls. The boat was little more than half an
hour away. Lady Greendale, in her anxiety, had told the steward to
let her know when it was coming alongside, and went up on deck to
get the news as quickly as possible.

"It is a rum affair altogether, my lady," Hawkins said, as he
stepped on deck. "I went to the doctor's, and he has seen nothing
whatever of the Major, and Miss Greendale and her maid have not
been to his house at all."

Lady Greendale stood for a moment speechless with surprise and
consternation.

"This is most extraordinary," she said at last. "What can it mean?
You are sure that there is no mistake, captain? It was to Dr.
Maddison's house she went."

"Yes, my lady, there ain't no mistake about that. I have been there
to fetch medicine for you two or three times. Besides, I saw the
doctor myself."

"Major Mallett must have been taken to some other doctor's," she
said, "and must have made a mistake and put in the name of Dr.
Maddison. His hous