“Do you think you can recover your own?” he asked.
“Oh, yes, easily,” replied Terry. “I’ll row this time.”
Sim climbed to the stern a little humbly and sat panting while Terry, with long strokes, pulled toward the deeper water where their oar was bobbing about in the sunlight.
“Grab it, Sim,” she called when they reached it, “and don’t murder anyone with it!”
Sim grabbed and recovered the dripping wooden shaft successfully and also gratefully.
“Now we’ll take his back,” Terry went on, and turned their craft toward the houseboat.
Tania once more barkingly announced their arrival, and Dimitri appeared at the signal.
“Will you come on board and rest for a minute?” he invited hospitably. “It was unfortunate that you lost your oar.”
“I don’t know whether we ought——” began Terry but Arden, seeing his smiling face take on an embarrassed look, interrupted with:
“We’d love to, for just a second. I’ve never been on a houseboat.”