“Now look here, sis!” exclaimed Jack, purposely cross. “This is all nonsense! Natalie isn’t drowned any more than you are! Don’t be silly!”
“I’m not!” she retorted, brought somewhat to herself by his manner of speaking. “But isn’t the boat gone?”
“Of course it is,” he admitted, “and it may be that Nat is in it. But that’s a long way from saying she is drowned. Nat knows how to manage a boat.”
“Then why doesn’t she come home?” asked Alice.
“There you go!” cried her brother. “You girls are all alike—bound to look on the dark side.”
“Well,” tearfully protested Alice, “can you show us a bright side?”
“Of course!” exclaimed Blake. “She may have met some friends, and gone to supper with them. They may have picked her up in their launch.”
“But Natalie wouldn’t go without sending some word to us,” objected Mrs. Bonnell.
“Maybe she did send word, and the person forgot to bring it,” said Jack. “I’ve had that happen to me lots of times. She’ll be found all right, you see.”
“Oh, of course I don’t believe anything serious could happen to her,” said Mrs. Bonnell, “only—well, it is getting late,” and she looked across the dark lake, and a little shiver of nervous fear made her tremble.