“Yes, papa; I am almost sure it is,” she replied. “But have you been to try and find her?”
“Yes, every morning; but I never for a moment imagined that she was gone right away.”
“I won’t come back without her, sir,” said German eagerly.
“It is of no use,” he replied sternly. “We cannot wait here, perhaps six days, for you to go back and return. No: we may find her later on when we are going back to the port. We can’t go now.”
“Oh!” said Ida, piteously.
“I am very sorry, my dear, but it would be madness to stop. We must go on.”
“But couldn’t you get some one else to look for her?”
“Whom shall I send?” asked the captain drily; and for the first time Ida realised how far they were from all society, and that by the same time next night they would be farther away still.
“I forgot,” she said. “You know best.”
“Let us go, father,” said Norman. “We boys will find her.”