“Absolutely not,” I said. “On the contrary it was quite natural that you should go.”
“I know it. But at the same time I had a feeling—a tiny, tiny feeling—that everything wasn’t quite right. There wasn’t any reason why I should, unless possibly it was the way he looked at me. I can’t explain what it was, but I had that feeling. I wanted to ask somebody, but—but——”
“Rub it into me, Betty,” laughed George. “I deserve it: I wasn’t fit to be asked anything.”
“I didn’t know then, George,” she said gently. “You’ll forgive me?”
“All my fault; make it up, though,” he said. “Go on.”
“Then I saw Dr. Olson getting into the boat, but still I didn’t feel quite right about going. Then the captain—” she hesitated a moment—“Captain Brack said: ‘Get in; you know you are coming with us. Don’t delay.’ And before I knew it I was in the boat and we were rowing away.
“There was a man waiting for us when we got up at the mine—that big, rough man.”
“Garvin.”
“And he spoke something to Captain Brack, and the captain and the doctor and the man hurried away into the hills on the other side of the lake. The captain said that you were out there with the men, Mr. Pitt, and that he’d tell you that I was there and you’d be back soon. Well, that’s about all. I had a lovely time roaming around that lake by myself for hours. And every minute I was getting more and more convinced that the captain had lied. When he came back alone I knew that he had.”
“Because he was alone?”