Exactly at the appointed hour Sidney met Lavender on the beach. She was breathless and a little worried for it had been neither easy nor to her liking to deceive Aunt Achsa. Aunt Achsa had declared that a storm was “comin’” for she could smell it in the air and Tillie Higgins had seen Sam Doolittle start for the backside with his pike pole and that meant a blow for Sam didn’t waste steps. “’Tisn’t likely Letty Vine’ll go to Truro tonight.”

“But I’ll see if she’s going, anyway,” Sidney had cried and had raced off, a sweater over her arm.

“I wish I could tell her how very important it is and then she’d understand, but I can’t for maybe she wouldn’t understand,” Sidney thought as she hurried to the rendezvous.

“Gee, how’d you ever get away?” asked Lav, admiringly, but Sidney had no opportunity to explain for at that moment Mart joined them, eager and excited.

“I put some cookies in my pocket,” she exclaimed. “You can’t tell what’ll happen.”

“Good. And I’ve got matches.”

Sidney wished she had thought of something to bring. Lav went on:

“It isn’t dark enough to go out yet. We got to be awful careful. You girls sort o’ walk up the beach as though we weren’t all together.”

Lavender was actually pale and his eyes burned fiercely. Sidney looked at him admiringly. She knew he was not thinking of the reward but of the fair name of the Cape.

Obediently the girls strolled up the beach. And, as they turned, a voice hailed them. To their consternation Pola came flying toward them.

At sight of her Sidney bit her lips with vexation. She gave a sidewise glance at Mart and saw Mart’s chin set stubbornly.

“Sidney—wait a minute!” Pola called and Sidney could do nothing but wait until Pola came up to them.

“I thought you were going to stay in Chatham tonight.”

“I should say not!” Pola had enough breath to make her answer expressive. “I was never so bored in my life. Those Truxton girls are stupid. And I kept wondering what you were doing. I coaxed mother to let Shields bring me back and she said she would provided I came and stayed with you tonight. Can you squeeze me in? Dug will give me his room, I know.”

Sidney cast a wild glance toward Mart. She started to answer, then stopped. Pola looked from her to Mart and back again to Sidney.

“What’s the mystery? If you don’t want me I’ll go to the hotel.”

“Oh, Pola, it isn’t that. It’s—it’s—”

“Sidney Romley I’ll bet you’re up to something! And if you are, you simply have got to let me in on it! I’m just pepped up to some excitement. Tell me what’s up.”

The girls turned slowly and walked toward Lav and the dory, Pola between them.

“It isn’t any fun,” Sidney explained slowly. “It’s something serious—and—and dangerous. And you’ll have to ask Mart and Lav if you can come with us.”

“You’ll let me go, won’t you, Mart?” Pola begged with friendly entreaty, forgetting she had ever thought Mart a riot.

Sidney introduced Pola to Lavender and turned away that she might not see the pain that flashed across Lavender’s face.

“Pola came back to stay all night with me. She wants to go with us and if she doesn’t I guess I’ll have to go back home.”

“I’ll do anything you say,” promised Pola. “I’m so curious that I’m fairly bursting.”

“I don’t care, but you’ll have to take off your shoes and stockings,” muttered Lav, scarcely looking at Pola.

“Oh, I’ll do that! I’ll do anything!” Pola flopped upon the beach and commenced removing her sport shoes. “And I won’t even ask any questions until you’re ready to tell me.” Rising, her small feet pink against the sand, she saluted Lav with mock solemnity.

“There, Captain Lavender Green, I’m at your command.”

Her pretty acquiescence won the girls at once. If any doubt assailed them as to the prudence of letting Pola go, their admiration for Pola’s gameness stilled it. Sidney rolled Pola’s shoes and stockings and her own in her sweater and hid them behind some logs. Then the little party waded out to the dory and embarked.

“We’re going to the Arabella,” Sidney whispered to Pola. She felt Pola shiver, but the girl made no protest. “We have to go ’round this way so’s no one can see us from the harbor. Sh—h!”

Silently they boarded the old hull, Lavender last. With the line from the dory in his hand the boy considered.

“If anyone comes up and sees the dory they’ll know someone’s aboard.”

“That’s true. What’ll we do?” whispered Sidney, anxiously.

“We can set her adrift. It’s an old tub anyway.”

“But how’ll we get ashore?”

“The tide’ll be out towards morning.”

“You mean swim?” cried Pola. “But I can’t swim! I—I—”

True, Pola’s complex! Sidney hastened to reassure her.

“When the tide’s out it won’t be over your head. And I’ll help you.”

Lavender had already let the line of the dory slip out of his hand. They saw the old boat become a shadowy outline as the tide carried it slowly away, then—nothing. Pola caught Sidney’s hand and held it.

“I’m not frightened—but it’s so—spooky!”

It had been decided that they should conceal themselves in the fo’castle cabin. They groped their way forward, Sidney guiding Pola in the dark, for Lavender dared not light any of his matches. Stumbling, scarcely breathing, they slipped down the companion ladder and crawled into the small, ill-ventilated cabin. Sidney sat down upon some tarpaulins. Pola crouched close to Sidney’s side. Lav and Mart stowed themselves upon one of the bunks.

“There—now we’ll wait!”

“I—I wish I knew what for!” whispered Pola. The smell of rank bilge water, the lift and drop of the boat sickened her. The wind was whining and that and the swish of the water against the sides of the boat terrified the girl.

In a few short words Lav vouchsafed Pola a little information. Like Sidney he admired the girl’s gameness though he was beginning to wish they had not let her come.

“How long do you think we’ll have to wait? And what if no one comes?”

“We’ll have to wait until most morning anyway before the tide is out. And if no one comes tonight we’ll have to come out again, that’s all. We’re not in this business for any fun!”

“Oh—h!” sighed Pola, clinging closer to Sidney.

The wind howled over their heads with increasing velocity and Sidney thought involuntarily of the snugness of Miss Letty’s buggy. Miss Letty was probably almost to Truro now. And Aunt Achsa thought she was with her!

“Is—is the boat tied tight?” asked Pola; and Lav assured her that it was. “The wind could get a lot worse and you’d be as safe out here as in your bed at home.”

After a long while Mart muttered, “What’s that?” The others leaned forward in the blackness of the cabin. They had all felt rather than heard a soft thud as though something had touched the side of the boat. And in a few moments heavy footsteps came straight toward the fo’castle.

“Oh, will they come here?” breathed Pola, shaking. And for answer Sidney caught Pola’s arm with a warning clutch.

For an instant it seemed that the footsteps must descend to the cabin. But at the companionway they halted. A voice came, heavy and thick.

“I tell you it ain’t safe to take it off now. They got a man on Rockman’s and another on Teal’s and no knowin’ how many in the bay! Every constable on the Cape’s here, damn them! And old Davies’s been ’round all day and he ain’t rigged up for any picnic!”

“If we don’t take it off tonight Lav Green may find it—or that girl—”

At that someone laughed, horribly. “Huh—him! Why we could twist every crooked bone in his body until he wouldn’t know ’em. Him—ha, that’s a joke! Why, a look ’ud scare him to a pulp. The girl, too.”

Sidney, reaching her hand out instinctively, caught Lavender’s and held it tight. She felt the writhing of his body.

A new voice broke in above them. “I got a better scheme. Listen. We’ll—” But the voices suddenly died to silence; the footsteps moved away.

The four, huddled in the darkness of the cabin, drew long trembling breaths.

“Lav, those diamonds are on this boat!”

“Sh—h. I know it. But we got to be careful. They haven’t gone yet. We got to wait. And we’ll wait until we find ’em. Damn them I’ll show them who’s crooked!”

“Hush,” implored Sidney. “Of course you will”

“Isn’t it most morning? I—I wish I was home,” quavered Pola; but no one paid any heed to her.

With the howling of the wind, the slap-slap of the water, it was difficult to make out whether the men had left the boat or not. Once Lav crawled to the top of the companion ladder but a muttering like a human voice drove him back. Queer sounds struck upon their sensitized ears. And the boat seemed to lift to a new motion.

They waited for an interminable time. Then Mart spoke quickly.

“Lav, we’re moving!”

Lav needed no warning. He, too, had missed the pull of the boat on the anchor rope. He shot up the ladder.

“Oh, what’s the matter?” cried Sidney and Pola, forgetting all caution.

Mart had no time to explain her fears. In an instant Lav was back, fairly throwing himself into the cabin.

“We’re drifting! They cut the anchor rope! We’re drifting out! Fast! Way out! To sea!”

That had been the “better scheme.” To cut the Arabella free from its mooring and let the wind and tide carry it out into the bay. At first Starrow had not favored the plan; he had declared that it was too much risk, that the wind was shifting and freshening fast and that the old tub might open a seam, but Joe Josephs had convinced him with: “the Arabella would be good for a week out in a nastier sea than this. It’s safer than riskin’ runnin’ afoul one of Phin Davies’ men ashore. Guthrie’s Sally’ll stand this squall and pick up the Arabella easy and we can reckon sure on the course the old tub’ll take, even ’lowin’ for the wind to shift.”

As she comprehended what had happened Pola screamed. Mart and Sidney dragged her with them up the ladder. Lav was at the side of the boat tearing off his blouse.

“Oh, Lav, what’ll we do! What are you going to do now?” cried Sidney.

“It’s so black,” wailed Pola. “I’m—sick!”

“I’m going to swim ashore. It’s the only way. I don’t know how long this old tub’ll stand a sea and the wind’s rising. We got to get help.”

“You shan’t swim alone, Lavender Green. We’ll all swim. That’s nothing of a swim—”

“You can’t! You forget—Pola.”

Sidney wheeled in consternation. “Pola’s complex!” The girl was crouched, now, on the deck, an abject, wailing figure.

“You go with Lav, Mart,” said Sidney in a quiet voice. “I’ll stay with Pola.”

“What do you think I am? I guess I’ll stay with her too!”

“But your grandmother—”

“Oh, gran’ma!” Mart’s voice choked. “But she’d be the one to tell me to stay—”

“It’s no use our all trying it,” muttered Lav. “I’ll get there or I won’t get anywhere.”

“Maybe it’s too far for you to swim!” Sidney was at Lavender’s side, her hands on his arm. The boy’s form in its light underwear showed pitifully crooked but Sidney saw him straight and she saw the gleam in his eyes. Suddenly she remembered what Vick had said so lightly about the Grail. Ah, she was seeing its gleam now, transcendently beautiful, in Lav’s eyes! She dropped her hold of his arm.

“You see, I’ve got to try it, Sid.” And she understood. He went on: “I’ll swim for the lighthouse. They can telephone from there to Rockman’s. You girls find a light and signal with it. Don’t lose your nerve, Sid.” He poised for an instant on the rail then plunged into the black water.

“Oh, Lav,” cried Sidney. She leaned far over the side of the boat. She could see nothing but a crest of foam. “Mart, he’s—he’s—drowned!”

Pola screamed again.