"But you’re not at home; the Floweret can say so," said Adrian.

"She won’t. She’ll say ’dear Mrs. Romilly, don’t be anxious’," remarked Hughie with grave assurance.

It was so very true that the elders looked at each other and laughed.

Then Christobel said humbly:

"It’s all my fault. I made sure the tide turned in our favour at five o’clock. That seemed to give us heaps of time to pick up moorings and make all snug by half-past seven."

"For any sake, Crow, don’t be in a repentant mood," urged Adrian, "the tide is keeping a pleasant surprise up its sleeve. At present it’s pretending it never comes in at all! Keep it in a good temper whatever happens. It will get tired of the merry jest in two jiffs and remember how jolly and warm the little bays are all along; then it’ll go home in a hurry! Oh, I say--what a coast this is! I don’t believe you can beat it round England anywhere."

Adrian thus refused to be roused into worry, but Pamela was sorry for Crow. Crow had such a terribly tender conscience! She pulled herself together and sat upright with a decisive little movement.

"Give me the dinghy," she said, "and I’ll go ashore and carry a message. Then, when you get back, the boat will be in the cove all right to take you off. There’s no difficulty about it--it’s as simple as--as anything."

"Pam, it’s three miles! You can’t possibly----" Christobel objected.

"Oh, my dear--it isn’t. Not nearly three miles even from Bell Bay. What are you thinking of? I don’t believe we are a mile from the Beak. It’s nothing of a row. Just look----"

Christobel looked. First at the big headland, then at Adrian, who had made no comment.

Pamela went on explaining her plan.

"Suppose you make a little tack in towards Ramsworthy and the lighthouse. That will bring us quite near the easiest side of the Beak. Then Hughie can come with me. I’ll land him and he can go up the sloping part into Ramsworthy, over Hawksdown, and into Bell Bay as quick as he likes--how far is it? Only about a mile and a half. _I_’ll row the dinghy along the shore. We’ll just see which of us gets back first, won’t we, Hughie?"

"_I_ shall," answered the small person without hesitation.

"Depends on the tide," said 

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