"Now run down to the pier and get into the boat as fast as you can," said I to Kate. "Crawl into the cuddy, and keep out of sight."
"Do you think any one will catch me?" asked she, quivering with terror.
"No; there is no person near to catch you," I replied, as I picked up her bundle of clothes.
We reached the boat without meeting any person, though Mrs. Loraine's man drove the cow into the yard just as we were pushing off from the pier. I had only lowered the jib of the Splash, so that she was ready to start without any delay; and in a few moments we were standing up the lake, the breeze still fresh from the north-west.
"You may come out now, Kate," I called to our passenger, when we were half a mile from the pier.
"Am I perfectly safe?" she asked, timidly, as she crawled out of the cuddy.
"Yes; no one can see you now. Sit down on this seat, and don't be alarmed."
"What shall we do with Miss Loraine now we have released her?" asked Bob, as she sat down by his side in the standing-room.
"I don't know," I replied. "We will settle that question before we go on shore. What did Mrs. Loraine do to you when you went into the house, Kate?"
"She spoke to me very severely, and sent me to my room. She told me I should not come out again for a month."