Some brisk work took the canoe over, as nearly as Tom could judge, to the spot where the haunting face had been seen so briefly on the afternoon before. Under the bright morning sun the waters were clear here, though the bottom could not be seen. "Paddle half a mile up the lake, then down," Dick ordered. This was done, Prescott and the paddlers keeping a sharp lookout. No body of a drowned man was seen, however, either on the surface or under the water. "I don't believe anyone was drowned," re marked Dick at last. "There is no wind today, and hardly any such thing as current on this placid water. Whoever the man was, he got ashore." "That's my belief," agreed Reade. "Where's that brush arrangement?" asked Dan suddenly. "That frame all trimmed with green boughs." Nor was this to be seen, either, though an object of that size would have been visible at any point on the water within half a mile. "The man got ashore, all right, and he took care of the bush-trimmed frame as well," was Prescott's conclusion. "Whoever the man was, whatever happened, I don't believe that anything tragic happened in the water. For that matter, fellows, isn't it possible that, in the gathering gloom, and with the sky somewhat overcast, you were deceived about the ghastly, haunted look in that face? Isn't it likely that the look you thought you saw in the man's face was merely an effect of the unusual light of late yesterday afternoon?" Tom shook his head emphatically. "Why don't you ask us," demanded Dan ironically, "if it weren't just imagination on our part that we saw the face at all?" "I don't doubt your having seen the face," Dick replied. "That wasn't anything that the light supplied." "Then where is the man?" quizzed Dalzell. "Safe on shore somewhere, beyond a doubt," Dick answered "Then the chase takes us ashore, doesn't it?" asked Dan. "Yes; if we're going to follow up the matter any further," Dick replied. "We ought to follow it up," Reade insisted. "Why?" asked Prescott. "For one thing," smiled Tom, "it will give us something interesting to do." "Should we find our interest in meddling with other folks' business?" wondered their leader. "We've a right to, when those people come around and spoil our night's rest for us," Tom retorted. "It was a bit like a challenge, wasn't it?" Dick laughed. "Besides," Dan urged, "we certainly saw enough yesterday afternoon to show us that there is something tragic in the air around this sleepy old lake. If anyone is in trouble we ought to try to help that one out of trouble. And there was real, aching trouble in that face if ever I saw evidences of trouble." "I guess we'll put in part of the day looking into the matter," Dick assented. "Where shall we land?" asked Dalzell. "As nearly as possible opposite the exact spot where you saw the man's head," Prescott made answer. "Over there where that bent birch shows between the two chestnut trees," announced Reade, pointing with his paddle.