"Yes, bully. I say, you ain't afraid, are you, sis? They both know how to sail the Vi. I wonder how far they'll go?"
"Don't talk so much, Lee; you confuse me."
Carolyn deliberately walked away from the hearth and to the door that led into the hall.
"You're not going out, are you?" asked her mother.
"Yes; I want to go."
"How can you? Why, it's a real September gale."
But Carolyn opened the door and went into the hall. She was followed by her brother, who flung open the outer door and ran out ahead. The two walked around to the south side of the house, where the wind swept in full force. But Carolyn was aware, in spite of her anxiety, that she had no real cause to fear for the safety of those on the Vireo, since they knew how to manage a sailboat. The wind was off shore; if it drove the boat, it would drive it out to sea. She herself had been out more than once in a wind like this. It was the return which was not so easy, or rather the return required a longer time.
"Let's go down to the wharf," suggested Leander; and his sister was glad to go. The wind hastened their steps. They stood a few moments on the narrow planking. The water was black before them; the tide was coming in, but the waves were flattened by the southerly wind.
"'Twas mean of Rodney not to let me go," Leander repeated. This grievance seemed to grow upon him. "But he'll find he isn't alone, for all that," he chuckled.
Carolyn was thinking one thought over and over: