“Well, it isn’t a very pleasant night,” Agnes was forced to admit.
“Why aren’t we moving?” asked Tess. “We were moving and now we have stopped.”
“Neale has gone to see, Tess. He will have things in shape before long,” was Agnes’ not very confident reply.
“Well, we’re nice and snug here,” said Ruth, guessing that something was wrong, and joining forces with Agnes in keeping it from Mrs. MacCall and the younger children. “We are snug and dry here.”
“I think I’ll go and give the sailors a hand,” Mr. Howbridge said. “Ruth, you tell these little teases a story,” he said as he shifted Dot out of his lap and to a couch where he covered her with a blanket.
“I’ll get this wet coat off,” remarked Agnes. “My, but it does rain!” She passed Mr. Howbridge his coat.
Ruth took her place as mistress of the little household of Corner House girls—mother to the three parentless sisters who depended so much on her.
“And now, children, for the story!” she said. “What shall it be about?”
This took the attention of Tess and Dot off their worries, and though the wind still howled and the rain dashed against the windows of the Bluebird, they heeded it not.
Meanwhile Mr. Howbridge had made his way to the motor room where a sound of hammering on iron told him that efforts to make repairs were under way.