"Yes," she whispered, but with some hesitation, and drawing a deep sigh. "Ah!" he said, "you doubt whether I shall be taken care of because I'm going without permission. Are you not forgetting that we have always been trained to think and decide for ourselves in all cases where it is right and proper for us to do so? And why should I need permission to go on the sea in a yacht any more than in a fishing-boat? Can you answer me that?" he concluded, half laughingly. "No," she said, with a slight smile, "and I daresay you are in the right about it." "Then you won't change your mind ('tis a woman's privilege, you know) and go along? It's not yet too late." "No, thank you; I do not care to claim all the woman's privileges yet," she answered with playful look and tone. "Hello, Ned! 'most ready?" shouted Charlie from below. "Time's about up." They went down at once. The other girls were on the porch quite ready to start, Donald standing with them. Mrs. Perkins and Susie could be descried down on the beach waiting to see them off; Mr. Tallis too, chatting with the ladies. The young men gathered up the ladies' satchels and their own. Charlie offered his arm to Amy, but she declined it with a laughing assurance that she was now strong enough to walk without support. "Miss Neff," he sighed, turning to Ella, "I've lost my situation: will you?" "And you and the rest of us will, maybe, lose something else if we don't hurry," she answered lightly. "'Time and tide wait for no man,' so let us make haste before they fail us." These three were very merry, the other three sober almost to absolute quietness as they made their way to the waiting boat. Edward kissed his sister again as he was about to step into it, and she clung to his neck for a moment whispering, "Ah, I shall pray that you may come back safely!" "Don't borrow trouble, you dear little goose," he said, as he let her go. At the last moment it appeared that Donald was not going. There were various exclamations of surprise and disappointment from the voyagers when his purpose to remain behind became apparent, "They had understood he was going--why did he change his mind?" "Well," he said, with a quiet smile, "a man is not bound to give all his reasons, but the fact is Mrs. Perkins has held out strong inducements to me to stay where I am." "And he couldn't be in better company, could he?" was her laughing addition. Violet was as much taken by surprise as the others, but in her secret heart not at all sorry--"It would be so much less lonely with Cousin Donald there." They stood on the beach, waving their handkerchiefs to their departing friends until the latter had reached the deck of the yacht. Nor did they cease to watch the vessel so long as the smallest portion of it was visible, as it faded quite out of sight.