"We'll let her drift so long as the tide makes, and meanwhile I'll make things snug," said Guy. The blocks creaked musically as he gathered in foresail and jib. The topsail fluttered to the deck. It was warmer work getting in the mainsail and darkness was gathering rapidly. But the canvas was stowed away at last, the halliards made fast, every rope coiled away in its place.
"The tide is on the turn," said Meriel. "If we can edge in a little nearer the south shore the Witch will lie as safely as she would on her moorings."
Guy hauled up the chain and cast the anchor loose. "When you are ready, dear," he said.
"You may let go," she cried a minute later. The anchor dropped with a heavy splash and the rattle of the chain as Guy paid it out seemed almost a desecration of the silence. When the anchor held, Guy once more went below to trim and light the riding lamp. By the time his job was finished and the lamp was swung, the sky had gained a deeper tint of blue and the stars had begun to sparkle. He drew the dingey alongside and held out his hand to Meriel.
"You must let me take one oar," she said as she stepped into the boat. "It will be a stiff pull against the tide."
"When I am tired I'll tell you," he answered. He looked regretfully at the cutter as he dipped his oars.
"It seems ungracious to leave her," he said, "since the happiest moments of my life have been passed aboard her."
"Good old Witch," replied Meriel softly.
Night's mantle of darkness and silence enwrapped them. The stars studded the moonless sky, the plunk of the oars in the rowlocks and the drip of the water from the blades alone disturbed the perfect stillness. The boat drove onwards, leaving a trail of light in its wake. The darkness had made yet another of nature's marvels manifest. The water was full of phosphorescent light. Guy rested on his oars. Meriel lifted a handful of water and poured it back into the sea. It was as if she had poured out a handful of gems. She threw a handful of the diamonds in the air, and every gem as it fell again into the water struck gleams of light from the surface. They leaned over the side of the boat, and here and there in the blackness the lights sparkled for a moment and were hidden again.
"The water is full of star-dust," said Meriel. "See!" she added eagerly. Guy followed the direction of her outstretched finger.