A long pause followed. Harry gazed seawards, absorbed in gloomy reflections.
'It was awfully stupid of you to go on teasing her,' said Gerald; 'any one could have seen that she was going to lose her temper. She's so strong too; always rowing and climbing, and doing things like a boy.'
'Don't tell the boys at school,' said Harry, after a long time; then he relapsed into silence again.
Suddenly he pulled himself together, and jumped off the dyke just as Marjorie was coming out of the hut.
'Look here,' he began, planting himself in front of her, with a flush rising to his face; 'I apologise! but it's because I shouldn't have hit you and not because you held me.'
'It's all right,' said Marjorie, who was sorry that she had lost her temper; 'don't let's think of it any more but come and have tea.'
The other boys tried to drown any lingering embarrassment by talking very fast, and the meal became an animated, if not a merry one.
'Hark,' said Reggie suddenly, 'what's that?'
They all became silent and listened, Allan standing up. A deep rushing noise was filling the cottage, and rapidly increasing in volume.
'It's the tide-way,' said Reggie; 'we've forgotten to keep a look-out.'