"You went out rowing," explained Sam hurriedly. "You rowed up close to my island."
"By why did I go rowing? I've got to know that. I told Mr. Williams I was going up-stairs to take a nap."
"Oh, you changed your mind about napping, or you went rowing in your sleep. Anything will do; what's the difference about why you went? The point is, you went rowing. You're old enough. While you were close to my island you were upset in a sudden squall."
"There hasn't been a breath of wind to-day!"
"Well, cut out the squall, then. You rocked the boat, or did something silly, and fell overboard. You screamed and I—"
"You're deaf and dumb? How could you hear me scream?"
"That's right. Cut out the scream. I saw you; that'll do. I'm not supposed to be blind. I rushed down, got into my boat, went out and rescued you. Then I brought you to the island to recover. How's that?"
Rosalind looked doubtful.
"He'll be here in a minute," warned Sam. "Either take that or invent a better one."
"But it makes me sound so foolish—so helpless!" she protested. "And he knows I can swim."