Time passes slowly when one has nothing to do, and although the fact that their situation was equally disagreeable to both should have drawn Martine and Priscilla closely together, they now found even less than usual to talk about. Yet strangely enough, without blaming the other each was heaping mental reproaches on herself,--Martine saw her own folly in running away from the others, and Priscilla was conscious that she had been too easily led. "We might help time pass by reciting poetry," said Martine. "Or discussing history," rejoined Priscilla. "This might be a good time to settle the respective merits of the Loyalists and the Acadians." "With the tide coming in so fast I should hardly dare get into a discussion; there'd be no one to help pull us in if we fell out. But listen, isn't that some one calling?" "I believe it is, although the sound doesn't come from above. Don't you hear it?" "Yes, I do; it's some one calling 'halloo, halloo.' Perhaps--" "Yes, it may be some one searching for us." Any doubts that Martine may have had were soon removed by the sight of a small dory gliding into their field of vision some distance below them. There were two men in the dory, both hatless and in their shirt-sleeves. In an instant both girls were on their feet, waving their handkerchiefs. In the same instant the men in the boat caught sight of them, and one of them lifted his oar and flourished it two or three times in the air. "How will they get here?" asked Martine. "Oh, probably the water isn't very deep; they can push up part way, and then wade." "If they can wade, we might have ventured." "It would not have been safe for us. See, they are pushing the boat up all the way." The water, indeed, was deep enough to let the boat come up into the hollow--now filled with water--between the two arms of rock, whereby the two girls had climbed to their present position. While the boat was still some distance away Priscilla and Martine had recognized the immaculate Mr. Knight as the man who was steering. Mr. Knight, however, was immaculate no longer; he was hatless and coatless, his hair somewhat tumbled, and his face very red from the unwonted exertion. From the moment of recognizing him until the moment when the side of the boat grazed the ledge was a very short time indeed. "We thought we'd find you somewhere near here; at least, we hoped so," said Mr. Knight, looking from one girl to the other as if to decide which was the real culprit. "But how in the world did you get here?" "Walked," replied Martine, laconically; "hadn't time to swim." "But if you walked why didn't I see you when I looked an hour or two ago? I remember standing above this particular place and calling. Perhaps you weren't here then." Martine said nothing. If it should be necessary to confess she could attend to this later. At present she had enough to think about. "Is Mrs. Redmond worried?" asked Priscilla, anxiously.