"About ten miles--in the country," answered Wink. There was silence then, silence long and profound. At last they climbed to their feet and, without speaking, walked off in the darkness in the direction from which they had come. Perhaps ten minutes later there came the first sound to break the silence. It was a choking sort of gurgle from Wink. "What's the matter with you?" inquired Perry listlessly. "I was just--just thinking," replied Wink. "It was so--so--" But words failed him and he began to laugh. After a dubious instant Perry chuckled, and then Ossie, and presently they were clinging to each other convulsively in the middle of the unknown road and sending shrieks of laughter up to the starlit sky. Over an hour later they reached the landing. Both tenders were gone. The _Follow Me_ was dark, but a faint light still burned aboard the _Adventurer_. Perry cupped his hands and sent a hail across the water. A sleepy response was followed by the sound of someone tumbling into the dingey and then by the measured creak of oars. Han was grumbling as he drew to the float. "A fine time to be coming back," he said. "Where the dickens did you fellows get to, anyway? We looked all around the shop for you. Did you get any grub?" "N-no," answered Perry, as he sank wearily into a seat. "We got tired of sticking around there and--and went for a ride." "A ride? Where to?" "Oh, just around a bit. Out in the country a ways. Was--was the grub any good?" "Was it!" Han grew quite animated. "It was the best ever! They had about a dozen kinds of salad, and cold meats all over the place, and sandwiches and cakes and ice-cream and ices and coffee and--" "Oh, shut up!" begged Ossie almost tearfully. "It was bully! Were you there when we chased the burglars?" "When you--what?" asked Wink. "Chased the burglars, I said. Mr. Drummer, or something--I never did get the name of the folks--found three of them trying to break into his safe, and they knocked him down and half-killed him, and the servants chased them, and then everyone took a hand! It was fine and exciting, I tell you! Had you gone off before that?" "Why--er--seems to me we did hear something," said Perry. "When--when was this?" "Oh, about a quarter to ten, I suppose. We were dancing--" "_You_ were dancing?" ejaculated Wink. "Sure! All of us danced. Didn't you?" "Who with, for the love of Mike?" "Oh, lots of girls. Mrs. Thingamabob happened to find Joe standing around and made him tell her his name, and then she took him off and introduced him to some girls, and then he introduced the rest of us. It was a peachy floor. Some of the girls were all right, too." "You seem to have got on fairly well," said Wink, "considering you weren't invited." "We were invited just as much as you were," responded Han indignantly. "Maybe, son, maybe," answered Wink, as he climbed aboard the darkened _Follow Me_, "but I'll bet they weren't half as sorry to see you go as they were to see us!"