“Somebody’s been mistreating ’em,” he said, his eyes on the three cowering, pathetic little figures. “Poor little mites—poor little mites! Found ’em on a sort of raft, you say? Washed up by the waves?”
The girls nodded, and Billie, putting a tender arm around the little fellow, succeeded in drawing him up close to her while Laura and Vi tried to do the same with the little girls. Connie was watching her Uncle Tom.
“H’m,” said the latter, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Folks on the ship probably—drowned out there. Poor little waifs. Kind of up to us to take care of ’em, I reckon.”
“Of course it is,” cried Connie, jumping to her feet. “Uncle Tom, where did Mother and Daddy go?”
“On, toward the house,” said Uncle Tom, nodding his head in the direction of the bungalow. “When they couldn’t find you they got kind o’ worried and thought you must have made tracks for home.”
“Here they come now,” cried Laura, for through the windows she had caught sight of Mr. and Mrs. Danvers hurrying along the walk toward the lighthouse.
“Oh, I’m glad,” said Billie, hugging the little boy to her and smoothing his damp hair back from his forehead. The child had stopped crying and had snuggled close to Billie, lying very still like a little kitten who has found shelter and comfort in the midst of a wilderness. The soft little confiding warmth of him very suddenly made Billie want to cry. “Your mother will know what to do,” she said to Connie.
“Mother always does,” said Connie confidently, and a minute later opened the door to admit two very much wind-blown, exhausted and very anxious parents.
“Oh, kiddies, what a fright you gave us!” cried Connie’s mother, looking very pale and tired as she leaned against the door post while Mr. Danvers patted her hand gently and tried not to look too much relieved. “Where did you go? Why, girls——” She stopped short in absolute amazement and bewilderment as she caught sight of Laura and Vi and Billie on the floor, each with a child clasped in her arms. “Where did you get them?”
She did not wait for an answer. She flew across the room and, dropping to her knees, gazed at the children who at this new intrusion had started away from the girls and regarded her with wide, doubtful eyes.