“Yes,” growled the prisoner.
“All right,” said Nelson. “Get out of the way, Barry.” The terrier for several minutes had been sniffing at the door and wagging his stump of a tail. Nelson shot back the bolt and stepped aside.
“Come out,” he commanded sternly.
Slowly the door opened, and then three jaws dropped simultaneously and three faces were overspread with amazement.
Out walked Dan!
CHAPTER XXIII—TELLS HOW THE FOUR ENCOUNTERED OLD ACQUAINTANCES
Have you ever, dear Reader, sat down in a chair when it wasn’t there? Or skated to skim ice supposing it to be two inches thick? Have you ever stood at the net, with the eyes of the “gallery” upon you, and smiled grimly and yet pityingly as you swung your racket up for the overhead smash that was to “kill” the ball, and then hit only air? If you have ever done any of these things you can have a dim idea, at least, of how Nelson and Bob and Tom looked and felt when Dan, alternately scowling like a desperado and grinning like a Chinese idol, opened the stateroom door and walked out upon them!
I would tell you just what each one said when he found his voice, only Barry kept up such a barking and Tommy such a stuttering that the remarks were anything but intelligible. And the same may be said of the conversation which followed for the next ten minutes. Dan explained and defended and the others questioned and accused; and Barry barked hilariously and enjoyed it all immensely. But in the course of time order evolved from chaos, and with returning calmness came returning hunger. Tom stopped “dropping stitches” and hurriedly put luncheon on the table. And by the time it was ready the Vagabond was tied up at the wharf where the Sylph belonged. At table Dan gave the first clear, orderly narration of events.
“You see,” he said, “when I got home I found that dad was getting ready to take a late train to Meriden on some business or other. But that wouldn’t give us much time with each other, so he said that if I’d come along he’d take the Norwich boat at six and go on from here this morning at 7.40. So that’s what we did.”
“We never thought about the boat,” said Nelson sadly.