He hurried the girls through the crowd which parted, smilingly, to let them pass. On Commercial Street he hailed old Hiram Moss, who with an eye to business in the midst of tragedy, had harnessed his horses to his ancient cab and had them ready for an emergency.
After he had bundled his charges in Dugald Allan turned to Sidney.
“Now give me some inkling of what started this crazy adventure. Thank God it has not ended as it might have ended though Lavender is still fighting for his life! Answer me, Sidney.”
But before Sidney could begin her tale she had to know what had happened to Lavender.
“Fighting for his life? But—he got here, didn’t he?”
“Yes—he reached shore, by an effort so great as to completely prostrate him. They took him home. I left Doctor Blackwell with him.” Dugald Allan spoke shortly and his crisp sentences had the effect of stunning poor Sidney. She shivered and leaned close to him. Her voice, when she spoke, came with a childish tremor.
“Oh, Lavender can’t die. If he does—it will be all my fault! I started everything. I—I told him about the diamonds—”
“Diamonds—”
“Yes—the diamonds. That’s why we went out on the Arabella—” In broken sentences Sidney told the story; she wanted Mr. Dugald to know that they had cared most for the honor of Cape Cod!
“And we found them—a big box—at least we think it’s the diamonds! Cap’n Phin Davies says it’s something queer!”