“No! No!” exclaimed the captain. He spoke rather impatiently. “Please don’t worry about it, Vevi. And please don’t talk about it—to others, I mean.”
“About anyone staying at the cabin, you mean?” Vevi could not understand why the captain seemed so annoyed.
“There are some things I can’t tell you about,” Captain Tarwell said. “You wouldn’t understand, and other folks might not either. Just enjoy the use of the cottage.”
Then, as if afraid that Vevi might ask other questions, the old seaman walked on down the beach.
It was time for the Brownies’ swimming lesson, so Vevi ran home to Starfish Cottage to change into her bathing suit.
“You’re late,” Connie greeted her as she ran across the sand. “Mr. Fulsom started in early and we’re all through now.”
“It’s getting too cold to swim anyhow,” said Vevi. “I’d rather play in the sand. I’m going to hunt for Miss Gordon’s lost wrist watch.”
“You’re silly,” said Jane, who came splashing out of the waves in time to hear the remark. “You know very well that Miss Gordon’s watch was stolen. So how could you hope to find it in the sand?”
“Maybe it wasn’t stolen. We don’t know that it was. Anyhow, it won’t do any harm to look for it.”
Vevi sat down and began to dig sand into her pail.