"Laddie," supplied Bettie, promptly.
"Laddie!" shouted the boy. "That's it—it didn't get away that time."
"Sometimes," said Laddie-Billy, another day, "when Dave comes into sight, I almost call him by another name; but the name doesn't quite come—I think I've known somebody—in a boat, perhaps—that looked like him."
There were many things, fortunately, that the boy had not forgotten. He handled his knife and fork properly, ate his soup daintily, and proved later that he had once been able to row a boat; though at first, of course, his strength had been unequal to very strenuous efforts with the oars. In spite of his unhappy experience with the lake, he seemed, strangely enough, to be exceedingly fond of the water and to feel not the slightest fear of it. Mrs. Crane, indeed, would have been glad to find him more cowardly; for, long before the purposely delayed bathing suit was ready, Billy had gone in swimming in his only clothes. Also, it was next to impossible to keep him out of the boats.
Time proved, too, that the water-loving castaway was a bright lad. He could read and write very readily in English, knew a little French, and was rather clever at figures. Often, when glancing through the advertising pages of magazines, his expressive face would light up and Laddie-Billy (as the girls now called him to please Mabel) would exclaim, joyfully: "I've seen that picture before."
But the things that the curiously afflicted boy wanted to remember refused obstinately to come; and this grieved him sorely.
"I suppose," said Billy, one balmy evening, when all the youngsters were roasting potatoes between two glowing logs, "I'm really well enough to go home, but—but where is my home?"
"You needn't worry about that," assured Mrs. Crane. "We're more than willing to keep you right here—as long as you don't tumble out of those boats."
"Yes," added Mr. Black, heartily, "we really need a boy to help us when Dave is busy breaking the game laws. I'm only afraid that Saunders will come along some day with an answer to that advertisement. You're well worth keeping, my lad."
"I'm glad of that," smiled Billy, cheered by these kindly assurances. "I'll try to be, anyway."