Jervais passed without a word to his friends who followed him out, and then both parties took carriages, already waiting for them, and drove down the long hill to the river.
"Well, sir, I've had a night of it 'pon my word, I have," cried the Captain, seemingly in the best of spirits. "Will you believe it, Sargent, I've been sitting in there with Lem Jervais since ten o'clock last night!"
Sargent listened listlessly. "Is he so entertaining?" he asked without interest.
The Captain looked at Judge Houston and dropped a sly wink.
"Immensely so! And when Suggs came in and told us about your scuffle with Phelps—well, you'd 'a' learned something if you'd heard what he said!"
Judge Houston had started at the mention of Phelps. In a moment his hand was on Sargent's.
"What about Phelps, Sargent? Did you go to see him?"
Sargent met his glance beseechingly.
"Not now—Judge. After this is over, get Captain to tell you about it. Please—not now!"
In the chill numbness of the hour before daybreak they took their places in a skiff, and shot out on to the wide surface of the river. The white mist obliterated the opposite bank, and when they had drifted a mile below the town a narrow strip of sand bar suddenly appeared out of the dark, and a moment later the boat was grounded upon the sand.