“No; stay right there till I see what I can do. I think I can push you off. All steady now!” The launch moved a little at his first attempt to dislodge it and a second strong shove sent it into the channel. “Now start your engine!” he commanded. The girl in the middle of the boat muttered something he didn’t catch. “Leila, can you start the engine?” demanded Millicent. “I think--I think I’ll have to row back,” she said when Leila made no response. “My friend isn’t feeling well.” “I’ll tow you--that’s easy,” said Bruce, noting that her companion apparently was no longer interested in the proceedings. “Please throw me your rope!” He caught the rope and fastened it to the stern of the skiff and called out that he was ready. “Please land us where you found the boat,” said Millicent. She settled herself in the stern of the launch and took the tiller. No word was spoken till they reached the boathouse. “That’s all you can do,” said Millicent, who had drawn on a long bath wrapper and stepped out. “And thank you very, very much; I’m sorry to have caused you so much trouble.” This was clearly a dismissal, but he loosened the rope and tied up the skiff. He waited, holding the launch, while Millicent tried to persuade Leila to disembark. “Perhaps----” began Bruce, and hesitated. It seemed unfair to leave the girl alone with the problem of getting her friend ashore. Not to put too fine a point on the matter, Leila was intoxicated. “Now, Leila!” cried Millicent exasperatedly. “You’re making yourself ridiculous, besides keeping this gentleman waiting. It’s not a bit nice of you!” “Jus’ restin’ lil bit,” said Leila indifferently. “I’m jus’ restin’ and I’m not goin’ to leave Polly. I should shay not!” And in assertion of her independence she began to whistle. She seemed greatly amused that her attempts to whistle were unsuccessful. Millicent turned to Bruce. “If I could get her out of the boat I could put her in our car and take her home.” “Surely!” he said and bent over quickly and lifted the girl from the launch, set her on her feet and steadied her. Millicent fumbled in the launch, found a bath wrapper and flung it about Leila’s shoulders. She guided her friend toward the long, low boathouse and turned a switch. “I can manage now,” she said, gravely surveying Bruce in the glare of light. “I’m so sorry to have troubled you.” She was tall and fair with markedly handsome brown eyes and a great wealth of fine-spun golden hair that escaped from her bathing cap and tumbled down upon her shoulders. Her dignity was in nowise diminished by her garb. She betrayed no agitation. Bruce felt that she was paying him the compliment of assuming that she was dealing with a gentleman who, having performed a service, would go his way and forget the whole affair. She drew her arm about the now passive Leila, who was much shorter--quite small, indeed, in comparison.