With every passing moment, day was approaching nearer, and the scene out over the ocean was one of surprising beauty, had Leslie only been less occupied and had time to observe it. The band of pink had melted into gold, and a thousand rosy little clouds dimpled the sky above. It was now so light that the dark shape on the beach stood out with comparative clearness. It had been bending down and rising up at intervals, and it took little guessing on Leslie’s part to conjecture what was happening. Some one was digging in the spot where the “Dragon’s Secret” had been hidden!
“What if it is Miss Ramsay?” thought Leslie. “Oh, it must be she! Who else could it be? She’s looking for that box, and she can’t find it because we’ve taken it away. Oh, what ought I to do about it? If only Phyllis were here!”
At this moment she realized from the actions of the unknown person that the search was evidently abandoned. The figure stood upright, struck its hands together, and threw away some implement like a board, with which the digging had been done. Then, with a discouraged shrug of the shoulders and a hasty glance back at the two cottages, it turned and walked away down the beach and was shortly out of sight.
And it was then that Leslie sank back on the window seat with a little gasp of sheer astonishment.
The figure was not—could not have been that of Miss Ramsay! It was a man—a tall, burly man; and as he walked away, his gait gave evidence of a decided limp!
CHAPTER XI
AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR
So anxious was Leslie to impart this newest development to Phyllis that morning, that she ate no breakfast at all, a departure which worried Miss Marcia not a little. But Leslie was out of the house and off the moment she had finished washing the dishes.