“By the process of deduction!” said Phil, as he gave his sister’s hand a quick pressure, and then—pressed that of some one else. No, there’s no use in asking whose it was. Besides Phil often changed—as did Jack and Blake, for all the girls had hands that were temptations to hold. “I don’t see how you knew we were here,” went on Mabel, as, after some hysterical laughter they resumed their way. “Old Hanson told us he saw you coming over this direction in boats,” explained Blake, “and we put two and three together and got six. Then, by subtracting one we knew you five were over here and we came.” “Oh, how glad we are!” exclaimed Natalie. “And is it far to the lake?” inquired Alice. “It seems as if we must have walked ten miles.” “The cove where you left your boats is about a quarter of a mile away,” explained Jack. “You’d have been there in about five minutes if you had kept on.” “We were about to give up,” declared Natalie. “We can never row back,” added Mabel. “You won’t have to,” declared her brother. “We have the motor-boat, and we can leave your boats here until to-morrow.” “It would be hard to find where we hid the oars, anyhow,” suggested Marie, fearing lest the boys would insist on towing the craft. “You haven’t, by any chance, anything to eat; have you?” “Nary an eat!” confessed Blake. “We came off in such a hurry.” “Where did you go?” asked Mabel, as if she did not know. “To Mt. Harry,” explained Jack. “You see we heard that the Gypsy camp was over there, and we thought we could get on the track of that girl!” “Did you?” asked Mrs. Bonnell innocently, nudging Marie under cover of the darkness. “No. There wasn’t the sign of a camp. But what did you go to Bear Pond for?” “How did you know we were at Bear Pond?” challenged Natalie. “Because that’s the only place to go to on this road, or from this part of the lake. Every one goes to Bear Pond who comes over this way. So, when we got back, and went over to your camp, and found you weren’t home by supper time,” explained Jack, “we knew where you’d gone.” “And we knew you were lost,” added Phil. “How?” Mabel wanted to know. “Because every one who goes to Bear Pond the first time gets lost,” declared Blake. “Don’t they, fellows?” “Sure,” came the chorus. “Why did you go without telling us?” asked Jack. “We could have shown you the road, and—” “Oh-o-o-o-o!” suddenly screamed Mabel. “Look!” “What is it? A snake?” asked Jack, springing to her side. “No, but I saw two green eyes— Oh! how they glittered! On the path right in front of us!” “A skunk, maybe!” volunteered Blake. “Oh, you horrid thing!” came in five different intonations of feminine voices. “Well, maybe it was only a ’coon, or ’possum,” admitted Blake. “He was probably attracted by Mrs. Bonnell’s light.” “Then I’ll put it out!” declared the Guardian, who had kept the spring switch of her pocket electric torch pressed down, thus making a continuous light.