They finished dinner in a leisurely fashion, enjoying the music and the peaceful atmosphere of this beautiful spot.
“This really has been lovely, Michael,” Peggy thanked him as they left the restaurant. “I feel so relaxed and different—not half as worried as I was this afternoon.”
“You’ll probably knock ’em in the aisles tomorrow night,” Michael said cheerfully as they got into the Merry Mac again.
And Peggy thought he might be right, at that. Somehow, getting away from the part had done her a world of good. She found that she was actually looking forward to trying it again, and sure that she could improve her performance.
“My, it really is rough!” Mary said nervously as they started back. A high wind had come up and the choppy water was blowing in all directions, making the boat rock furiously.
Michael was quite unconcerned. “See—there’s the light, Mary.” He pointed it out to her dead ahead across the black lake. “We just take a bead on that, and home we go without obstacles—in the rain, it seems.”
A freak summer storm had suddenly come up, and the rain pelted down heavily, mixing with the spray that rose over the sides of the little boat.
“This is nothing,” Michael reassured Mary. “I’ve been out in storms much worse than this. As long as we can see the landing light there’s nothing to worry about, and it doesn’t look—”
But Michael had spoken too soon. The rain suddenly poured down in such force that it was impossible to see. In an instant it descended in driving torrents and Michael lost the landing light! In a second he had cut the motor. “I don’t think,” he began—but then it happened. There was a grinding crash that threw Peggy and Mary forward, their heads hitting the windshield, while the Merry Mac reared up and came to a shuddering stop.
There was dead silence for a moment. Then, “Is anybody hurt?” Michael asked tightly.