CHAPTER XVIII
THE NET IS SPREAD
The girls found Elizabeth up and greatly worried. She had gone to bed and fallen asleep, she said, waking at midnight to find that they had not come in. “If Dalton had not needed his sleep so much, I would have wakened him,” she said.
Again the sleepy girls told the story, gathering up the details in the process and filling in what Beth did not know. “But we have passed the responsibility over to Mr. Tudor, Beth. He thinks that more proof is necessary, too. We’ve found out more than enough for poor little Peggy, though she is the stoutest little piece you ever saw. One thing, she does not like her step-father, or trust him, and she sees that he makes Mrs. Ives miserable. Mr. Tudor asked if she would be likely to warn her step-father and of course, we could not know. So far she has not said anything to her mother.”
“Do you suppose that Mr. Tudor will do anything?” asked Beth, very much interested.
“I don’t know. He said that he would talk to Dalton and to you. I’d say wait till they get here, anyhow. We surely are going to watch for that schooner, Beth,—but not to-night!”
On the very next day another young man arrived at Evan Tudor’s camp. Largely for Bill’s benefit, a heavy package marked manuscript was mailed by Mr. Tudor from the village post office. When Tom arrived that day with the regular supply of fish, he was told that he might make his report in the presence of the other young man. He did so, showing some money that Bill had paid him for the trip, a sum which Tom had inwardly hesitated to take, feeling like a traitor. He spoke of his feeling in the matter, but Mr. Tudor assured him that he must seem to be a part of the smuggler group. “You may even have to be arrested with the rest, though if there is any resisting, get out of range! Can you meet that?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Our people will be instructed about you, and you have only to tell who you are. I’m not anticipating any war. Things are coming to a climax now. Have you any information about the schooner that is bringing in the immigrants?”
“Yes, sir. Mr. Ives is out with the yacht now. He is expecting to take them off the schooner some distance out, but the yacht has trouble with the engine and they may have to dock her. In that case they’ll bring what Bill calls the big bugs to the yacht, by the launch, of course, and take the rest into the cave till they can get them ‘distributed.’ That is what Mr. Ives calls it. I saw him. He came in to Bill’s on the launch, about ten o’clock last night.”
Mr. Tudor had also seen him, but he did not mention the fact to Tom. “Does Mr. Ives know that you are in this with Bill?”