When he was within a few yards, Jack shut off the engine, and the Water Sprite drifted lazily down alongside the rowboat.
It was indeed the botanist, and he smiled cordially, if a little sheepishly, as they shouted greetings to him.
“I’m mighty glad to see you young people,” he returned. “I rather thought it was your boat, but she looks so gay in her new coat that I wasn’t sure of it.”
“Where are your oars?” asked Jack.
“Thereby hangs a tale,” smiled Mr. Morley.
“Come aboard and tell us all about it,” replied Cora. “We’ll fasten your boat to the stern and pull it along.”
Mr. Morley climbed on board, helped by willing hands, and Walter secured the rowboat by a rope round a cleat in the stern.
“It’s a simple story,” laughed Mr. Morley. “Indeed, simple is the only word that properly expresses it. The fact is that I rowed over to the other side of the lake to find some specimens that I had reason to think were growing there. I got them all right and rowed back to the island. I put the oars out of the boat on the dock, and was going to get out myself, when something peculiar about one of the specimens attracted my attention, and I sat down in the boat to examine it more closely. I got so engrossed in it that I forgot everything else. Then suddenly I woke up to the fact that the boat had drifted away from the dock, and I was in the middle of the lake without oars. I was trying to paddle with my hands, but wasn’t accomplishing much, when your boat came in sight. I’m always glad to see you young folks, but I don’t mind admitting that I’m especially glad to see you to-day.”
“And we are to see you,” returned Cora warmly. “How lucky it was that we made up our mind to spend to-day on the lake.”
“We’ll take you right over to your island,” said Jack.