But at that moment Miss Letty appeared in the door, as scantily clad as the doctor had been. From her window which faced Doctor Blackwell's house, she had heard the men summoning him. She had lost no time in getting to Sunset Lane. "Who went with me? Where? What's happened?" Now Aunt Achsa let her whole weight drop against Mr. Dugald. "Didn't Sidney go 'long to Truro with you?" she asked falteringly. "I didn't go to Truro. Knew this storm was comin'. Where--" "Oh--h!" Aunt Achsa moaned Mr. Dugald motioned to Miss Vine. "Take care of things--here. I'm off--" "Cap'n Davies and Jim Saunders and Pete Cady's gone out in the _Sally_," cried one of the men who had brought Lavender home. But Dugald Allan had plunged into the darkness without hearing him. The men rushed after him. Miss Vine pushed Aunt Achsa into a chair. "You're not going to cross any bridges 'til you come to them, Achsy Green. Doctor Blackwell brought Lav into this world and he isn't going to let him quit it without putting up a pretty good fight. Jeremiah Berry's in with him and he's as good as two women. You wrap that shawl 'round you 'til I can light a lamp and get you some clothes. You're shivering like it was December. I'll put the kettle over, too--" Oddly huge and gaunt in the shadowy room, Miss Vine moved and talked briskly to keep up Aunt Achsa's nerve and her own against the black fear that held them. Mr. Dugald ran with all speed to Rockman's, the other men after him. As their hurrying steps echoed through the silent street heads popped out of windows, doors opened. Then more men, half-dressed and dressing as they ran, rushed after them toward Rockman's. They knew, with that intuition inbred in seacoast communities, that something was wrong. Old Simon Tibbetts, too crippled to join the gathering crowds, rang up Commander Nelson at the Life Guard station on the backside. When, in the gray light of the dawn, the _Sally_ chugged up to Rockman's wharf with its precious cargo Sidney and Mart found a weary, anxious crowd of men and women gathered there. And as Cap'n Davies and Saunders lifted the girls ashore a lusty shout of rejoicing went up--eager hands reached out to touch the rescued as though to make certain they were safe and sound. Sidney had eyes only for Mr. Dugald who seemed to tower above them all, his eyes dark lined with the strain of anxious watching, his mouth set sternly. And strangely enough, at first, Dugald Allan saw only Sidney, yet it was not strange, for the white-faced, shrinking, abject girl, barefooted and disheveled, who was hiding behind Mart and Sidney, had little semblance to his gay young cousin. Mr. Dugald opened his arms and Sidney ran into them like a little child, and clung to him. He felt her slender body shaking. "I--I can't help crying. I wanted Trude--so much!" "_I_ was thinking of Trude, too. Thank God!" But Sidney was too moved at the moment to wonder at his words or that the cheek he bent to hers was wet with tears.