Oh!" says I. "Thought you were too near the edge." And the side
clinch wa'n't disturbed.

[Illustration: Then my arm must have slipped--and the side clinch
wa'n't disturbed.]

Some chat too! I don't know when we've had a chance for any such a
good long talk as that, and we both seemed to have a lot of
conversation stored up. Then we chucked pebbles into the water, and
Vee pulls some seaweed and decorates my round hat. You know? It's
easy killin' time when you're paired off right. And the first thing we
knows the fog begins to lighten and the sun almost breaks through. We
hurries back to where Mabel's just rousin' from a doze.

"Well?" says she.

"It's a tiny little island we're on," says Vee.

"Nice little island, though," says I.

"Hey!" sings out Payne, pokin' his head up over the rocks. "I've been
calling and calling."

"We've been explorin'," says I. "Got her fixed yet?"

"Hang it, no!" growls Payne, scrubbin' cotton waste over his forehead.
"And the fog's beginning to lift. Why, there's the shore,
and--and--well, what do you think of that? We're on Grampus Ledges,
not a mile from home!"

Sure enough, there was Roarin' Rocks just showin' up.

"Now if I could only start this confounded engine!" says he, starin'
down at it puzzled.

By this time Vee and Mabel appears, and of course Mabel wants to know
what's the matter.

"I'm sure I can't tell," says Payne, sighin' hopeless.

"Wirin' all right, is it?" says I, climbin' in and lookin' scientific.
And--would you believe it?--I only paws around a minute or so before I
finds a loose magneto connection, hooks it up proper, and remarks
casual, "Now let's try her."

Pur-r-r-r-r! Off she goes. "There!" exclaims Mabel. "I shall never
go out again unless William is along. He's so handy!"

Say, she stuck to it. Four days I was chief engineer of the
Vixen--and, take it from me, they was perfectly good days. No more
fog. No rain. Just shoolin' around in fair weather, makin' excursions
here and there, with Vee trippin' down to the dock every day in a
fresher and newer yachtin' costume, and lookin' pinker and sweeter
every trip.

Course, as regards a certain other party, it was a case of artistic
dodgin' for me between times. You got to admit, though, that it wa'n't
a fair test for Aunty. I had her off her guard. Might have been
diff'rent too, if she'd cared for motorboatin'. So maybe I got
careless. I remember once passin' Aunty right