“Oh, it’s gorgeous fun! I never enjoyed anything more! But we mustn’t go any further. We’re about three miles beyond Spring Beach now.”
Sure enough, they had gone beyond all signs of habitation, and were on a long, straight stretch of road, with the ocean on one side and pine woods on the other. It was weirdly beautiful,—the dark shadows of the pines, darker than ever by contrast with the moonlighted spaces. There was no boardwalk here, and the sea dashed almost up to the road they were on.
“All right,” said Philip, in answer to Patty’s suggestion, “we will turn around in a minute. We’ll just go to that next clump of pines, and then we’ll turn back.”
He lowered the speed, and they crawled slowly along toward the trees he had indicated.
“It’s perfect,” sighed Patty, drinking in the beauty all around her. “I’m glad you helped me guess those questions, or I never should have had this experience. Except for one moonlight night in Venice, I’ve never seen anything so lovely.”
“Then you’re glad I brought you, if it was a case of kidnapping?”
“Yes,” said Patty, while a demure smile dimpled at the corners of her mouth. “I think I like being kidnapped. Are you going to hold me for ransom?”
“I’d like to, but nobody could offer a ransom big enough to get you back!”
“Now that’s a pretty speech;” and Patty nodded her head approvingly. “So, as there’s no ransom to be considered, please take me back to my fond parents, for I have no doubt they’re scared to death wondering where I am.”