"And that may never be," Allen had said, for he had long since given up the cipher. Nor had experts, to whom he had submitted it, been able to furnish a clue to its solution.
So, while the boys had gone out fishing in the motor boat, the girls prepared for their picnic, leaving the diamonds at home.
Percy Falconer had declined the boys' invitation to go fishing, and when Betty heard him say that he feared to go out on the water she had looked at her chums with hopeless despair on her face.
"What if he wants to come on the picnic with us?" she whispered to Grace.
"We—we'll run away from him!" had been the ultimatum. But Percy did not pluck up enough courage to trust himself, the only youth, with four girls.
"I'll go for a run in my car, and may pick you up and bring you back later," he said, with a glance at his wrist watch. He was still a guest at Edgemere.
"Well, let's start!" called Betty, and the four girls set off down the beach.
"Why are you going that way?" asked Grace, as Mollie and Betty, who had taken the lead, started along a certain path amid the sand dunes.
"Just for fun," answered Betty. "I have a fancy for looking again at the place where we found the diamonds."
"We can't seem to get rid of them, day or night—sleeping or waking," spoke Amy. "Isn't it dreadful how they follow one?"