“It’s wonderful,” breathed Rob.
“I can hardly believe it,” echoed Merritt, giving himself a surreptitious pinch.
“Now, then, to lunch,” laughed the lieutenant, “and after that, good—bye to the Vesper.”
“Good-bye to the Vesper,” echoed his brother officers, who knew of the program for the afternoon.
* * * * * * * *
It was about two-thirty o’clock, and the sea was unrippled except for the lazy Atlantic heave, when a small launch left Hampton Harbor and sped eastward through the Inlet and then out into the open sea. She rapidly skirted the coast and it was not long before the little craft was past Topsail Island, and on the left hand of her four occupants, the dark trees surrounding the De Regny mansion were visible.
Seaward from the desolate looking place, above which, however, the stars and stripes floated with a bright dash of color, could be seen the two bare masts of the wreck, and this was apparently the objective point of the small launch, for as they neared her one of the men in her stern-seat half rose and, pointing, said:
“There she is now. In half an hour we’ll know if Hank was telling the truth.”
“How was he this morning when you called up the hospital?” asked Bill Bender of the first speaker, who was Stonington Hunt.
The other shook his head.