[CHAPTER XXII]
OVERHEARING A PLOT
Noddy was so much engaged in making a landing at the dock that he did not observe the three boys until he had come up alongside the string piece. Then, as he glanced up, he muttered an exclamation below his breath.
“Oh, uncle, I had a lovely ride!” exclaimed Jessica, as she got out. “It was glorious! Oh, there are the boys who were almost shipwrecked the other night,” and she bowed to the motor lads.
“Well, now you must all come in and have a glass of milk and some cake,” said Mr. Hardack. “Jessica bakes fine cake.”
“That’s the way uncle flatters me!” exclaimed the girl with a laugh. “But come in, all of you; please do.”
The motor boys were in a quandary. They wanted to see the workings of the lighthouse, which they had been told were quite novel. Ned had to admit he wanted to see Jessica, and Jerry was anxious to get more information about Bill Berry. As for Noddy, he did not seem to know what to do. He was fumbling at the painter of the boat he was in.
“Aren’t you coming in, Mr. Nixon?” asked Jessica.
“I forgot—I have an engagement,” muttered Noddy. He bent over the engine and was cranking it up. “I’ll see you again, Miss Jessica,” he called, and with a bow, he steered his boat away from the dock.
“Well, you three boys come in,” insisted the keeper. “We have very little company here, and we must make the most of it. See the fine blue fish they brought me, Jessica.”
“They’re lovely,” the girl said, though she looked a little troubled. Ned wondered if she regretted Noddy’s departure.