“Well, that’s so. But anyway we’ll go ahead. Now girls, are you satisfied?” the captain wanted to know, for Babs and Cara plainly had something else to say.
“Oh, yes, Captain,” Babs answered. “We really didn’t come so much about the letter. You see, I only just now thought of—of Nicky’s father,” she confessed.
“I see,” said Captain Quiller, expectantly. Then he waited.
“But there is something else,” went on Babs. “I hadn’t told you Captain, because I just didn’t get a chance to.”
“Things did pile up pretty quickly,” he agreed. “Like a squall, when we wouldn’t expect one,” he chuckled. He always talked of the sea even when there was nothing to be said about it.
“Yes. But this is different. I’ll have to ask Nicky.” Barbara said this in apology to their host. “Nicky,” she began as severely as she could, “I’ve got to know this very minute about that boat model. Where is it?”
“You can’t,” the boy answered crisply.
“But I’ve got to! I’m nearly crazy about it. Don’t you know you’re blamed for stealing it?” Babs blurted out.
“I told you I didn’t.”
Cara was whispering to the captain, so that they didn’t once interrupt the other two.