out of the water?"

"No, my dear, but you are out of it, and safe and sound: that is the
main point. How do you feel now you are awake?"

She yawned, and stretched her arms and looked round, but did not answer
at first. This was all natural, and a sign that she was coming right.
She looked down at her dress. It was not inappropriate to her sex, being
a loose gown that belonged to one of the girls in the house.

"I feel pretty well," she answered, "but a little confused. My boat will
be gone, if you don't run and stop it now. How did you get me into dry
clothes so quick?"

Master Byles Gridley found himself suddenly possessed by a large and
luminous idea of the state of things, and made up his mind in a moment
as to what he must do. There was no time to be lost. Every day, every
hour, of Myrtle's absence was not only a source of anxiety and a cause
of useless searching but it gave room for inventive fancies to imagine
evil. It was better to run some risk of injury to health, than to have
her absence prolonged another day.

"Has this adventure been told about in the village, Mrs. Lindsay?"

"No, we thought it best to wait until she could tell her own story,
expecting her return to consciousness every hour, and thinking there
might be some reason for her disguise which it would be kinder to keep
quiet about."

"You know nothing about her, then?"

"Not a word. It was a great question whether to tell the story and make
inquiries; but she was safe, and could hardly bear disturbance, and, my
dear sir, it seemed too probable that there was some sad story behind
this escape in disguise, and that the poor child might need shelter and
retirement. We meant to do as well as we could for her."

"All right, Mrs. Lindsay. You do not know who she is, then?"

"No, sir, and perhaps it is as well that I should not know. Then I shall
not have to answer any questions about it."

"Very good, madam,--just as it should be. And your family, are they as
discreet as yourself?"

"Not one word of the whole story has been or will be told by any one of
us. That was agreed upon among us."

"Now then, madam. My name, as you heard me say, is Byles Gridley. Your
husband will know it, perhaps; at any rate I will wait until he comes
back. This child is of good family and of good name. I know her well,
and mean, with your kind help, to save her from the consequences which
her foolish adventure might have brought upon her. Before the bells ring