“I never saw a boy so welcome before!” gasped Jennie, getting back her courage immediately.
“And now I can return your compliment, Nancy,” said Bob, laughing. “You saved me from drowning, and if you hang on long enough I’ll manage to save you, I guess.”
He could not paddle the canoe very swiftly with the weight of the two girls dragging it down; but in ten minutes they were in shore and knew that they were safe.
“We could wade in,” said Nancy, gasping a little for breath.
“Wait,” commanded the boy. “Hadn’t I better take you right up to the landing?”
“Oh, mercy! no!” cried Jennie. “We want to run right home across the fields. The back door won’t be locked.”
“We’d better go to the gym. first and get skirts,” said Nancy, the practical. “Maybe we can slip in then without anybody being the wiser.”
“How under the sun did you manage to sink that skiff of yours?” Bob demanded, showing thereby that he knew more about Nancy and her chum than Nancy had supposed.
“The plug came out,” said Nancy, shortly.
“Why didn’t you put it back?”