Harry shook hands with him sorrowfully.
“I wish you weren’t going,” she said.
“Thank you,” he answered. “So do I. I’ll miss the fishing and the good times we’ve had around your camp-fire.”
“I hope we’ll meet you again,” said Chub. “It’s been awfully jolly for us fellows, having you here.”
“That’s so,” echoed Dick and Roy. “And I’m very much obliged for the help you gave me with the launch,” added the former. Billy smiled, hesitated, and—
“I’ve got a confession to make,” he answered. “I don’t want you to think I wouldn’t have done anything for you that I could have, but I was more interested in that launch than you suspected. I thought that perhaps some day I might want to use it and use it in a hurry. And so I made up my mind to find out just how she ran. As things turned out, though, I had no use for her.”
Dick laughed.
“Well, I hadn’t suspected that,” he said, “but you’d have been welcome to her if you’d wanted her. And I’m just as much obliged to you.”
Billy turned to Mr. Cole.