"Who is Tom Bissell?" asked the coxswain.
"He runs a store in Westport, and his wife keeps a millinery shop in the same building. My sister worked for them," replied Paul.
"Does he know how to handle a sailboat?"
"He thinks he does, and most people believe he does."
"Perhaps he does, and has met with some accident to his sail or rigging," added Dick. "I believe there are some ladies in the boat."
"I shouldn't wonder, for his wife is as fond of sailing as he is; and sometimes he takes out the girls that work for them," said Paul.
"The sloop is in the trough of the sea, rolling very badly. She is having a rough time of it," continued Dick, as the Marian came near enough for him to see the position of the craft.
"I am very sure that is the Silver Moon," added Paul.
"If it is, it looks like a wet moon, as Bates calls it, when he looks to the silvery orb for the state of the weather," said Dick.