"There's the jetty," announced Dora; "we shall be off directly. Hallo! Why aren't we stopping? Oh, Phœbe! Myfanwy! Aldred! Look: we're actually going past it!" CHAPTER VI An Awkward Predicament The girls sprang to their feet. It was unfortunately only too true; the vessel had steamed past the quay, and was heading out into the bay, away from the land. The four looked at each other in consternation too great for words. What were they to do? Could anybody have imagined a more horrible situation? They must indeed have made some great mistake. "Tickets, please!" cried the purser, coming round at this critical moment to collect the fares, and holding out his hand in anticipation. "We--we haven't any!" faltered Dora. "We thought you stopped at the jetty." "Why, no, miss. This is the Everston boat; we don't stop until Sandsend. You've got on the wrong steamer, that's what you've done. Didn't you see the notice up on the gangway? The North End boats have red funnels and a blue flag. A shilling each, please, to Sandsend, or half a crown to Everston." "Oh, can't you turn back, and put us off at the jetty?" implored Dora, almost crying. "We don't want to go to Sandsend, and certainly not to Everston." "And we're in a great hurry," added Aldred. "Sorry, miss, but it can't be done! The captain won't stop the steamer for anybody," said the man, smiling. "Not if we went and asked him ourselves?" begged Phœbe eagerly. "Not for the Queen of England!" returned the purser, as he waited, shuffling the tickets and some loose change suggestively in his hand. The girls felt in their pockets in vain. Most of their substance had gone on postcards and popcorn, and all they could muster among them was sevenpence-halfpenny. "I'm afraid we haven't enough money. We only expected to pay penny fares to the jetty." Dora's voice trembled a little. She felt so upset, she scarcely knew what she was saying, and the others looked equally solemn and concerned. The purser rubbed his chin, as if in doubt. "It's an awkward case, certainly," he said. "I can't think what they were doing at the pier-head to let you come on without tickets. This boat goes to Everston, you see, and stays the night there, so we can't take you back to Chetbourne. You'd best get off at Sandsend, and walk home along the shore. I'll make it all right with the captain about the fares." Were ever four wretched girls in such a predicament? It was a judgment with a vengeance on their naughtiness. To be carried away by the steamer and set down at such a remote place as Sandsend seemed an appalling prospect, and they were quite aghast at the idea. "Well, we have got ourselves into a scrape!" exclaimed Phœbe, as soon as the purser was out of earshot. "I was so sure it was the ferry-boat!" sighed poor Dora. "I feel as if I were to blame for proposing it." "It wasn't your fault more than anybody else's," said Myfanwy. "I suppose we ought to have stopped to ask." "We were in such a hurry!"