il.

"She goes very well; but don't you see how rough the water is out in
the middle of the river?" replied Kate, rather anxiously, though she
was not willing to acknowledge the full extent of her fears.

"That's nothing."

"But why don't you go down the river more, and keep out of that rough
place?"

"I like the waves! It's splendid to hear them beating against the
boat."

"It may be when you have a man in the boat with you," answered Kate,
sceptically.

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid; but I think folks ought to be very careful when they
don't know anything about boats."

"But I know all about boats. Don't you see how beautifully she goes? I
wish she would go a little faster."

"She goes fast enough," said Kate, as she listened to the ripple of the
waves against the bow.

"She might go a little faster; besides, we are in a hurry."

"We are going fast enough, Fan."

"The faster the better! I suppose, when Mr. Long goes over to the
school and finds we are not there, he will come down to the pier after
us. We want to be out of sight when he gets there."

"Why should he come after us? I thought you said it was all right,"
demanded Kate, nervously.

"He will go over to the school to find out whether the teacher sent us
after the boughs."

"_I_ wish I had not come," continued Kate, gloomily.

If she had known the whole truth, and understood the full extent of her
bold companion's plans, she would have been still more dissatisfied
with the situation.

"Here, Kate, you take the tiller a moment," said Fanny, as she rose
from her seat in the stern-sheets.

"What are you going to do now?" asked Kate, nervously.

"I'm going to hoist the other sail."

"We don't want it hoisted. We are going fast enough."

"We can just as well go faster; and I want to get out of sight before
Mr. Long sees us," replied Fanny, persuasively, though her bright eyes
snapped with increasing lustre under the excitement of the moment.

"I won't touch the tiller; I say we go fast enough. You want to drown
me--don't you?"

"If I drown you, I must drown myself--mustn't I?"

"I won't touch the tiller; I don't want the other sail hoisted,"
persisted Kate.

"What are you afraid of? I didn't think you were a coward. If I had, I
shouldn't have asked you to come with me."

"I'm not a coward, any more than you are. I don't see what you want to
hoist the other sail for; we are going like fury through the water
now."