"I don't understand this story at all," said Mr Durrant. "Sit up, Harriet, my dear. You have received a great shock; you must drink some of this." He held a cup of hot coffee to her lips. One of the fishermen had brought it from his own cottage near by. "Now, that's better," said Mr Durrant, when the girl had sipped a little and looked round her. "But, my dear Harriet, my last instructions were that none of you were to go into the water. Of course, I know what a dangerous coast this is, and after the storm of last night, you ran the most fearful risk." "But she was brave! she was noble! She did, she did try to save me!" said Ralph, clasping Harriet's hand and fondling it as his brown eyes filled with tears. "Oh yes; that is quite true," said Mr Durrant. He spoke quietly. "Still," he said, "I don't understand why my message was disobeyed." "But we never heard anything about it. We shouldn't have dreamed of going into the water," said Frederica, "if we had known that you did not approve." "I told Jane that you were none of you to bathe until I came back. Harriet, there is no telegram from your father: you must consider no news as good news." "Oh yes," said Harriet, in a faint voice. She took Ralph's hand and whispered to him: "Stay close to me. When you are close to me, I won't be seeing all the time your little head going under the water." "We have a great deal to be thankful for," said Mr Durrant. "But I cannot understand Jane Bush. She seemed in great distress about you, Harriet, and said that you were fretting terribly about your father. She wanted herself to go back to try and get news from the yacht, but of course I offered to go. Still, I gave implicit directions that you were none of you to bathe. Where is Jane?" "I think she had a headache," said Harriet. "Anyhow, she said she would go back and stay near the yacht. She thought, perhaps, one of the boatmen would see her and take her on board." "And she never gave you my message?" "Certainly not," said Harriet. "Well, my dear," said Mr Durrant after a pause, "I am exceedingly sorry that this should have happened; but nevertheless we have much to be thankful for. I have given that poor brave sailor what I hope he will consider a suitable reward. And now, children, I think we will get back to the yacht: the sooner Harriet lies down the better. I can see, my dear, that your own head is aching badly." "It is; I feel queer and rather sick," said Harriet. "I have ordered a waggonette to meet us, and we will drive back to Totland Bay: you are all much too tired to walk," said Mr Durrant; "all except you, you plucky little man," he added, looking at his little son. "You don't seem a bit the worse." "I wasn't a bit frighted, father," said Ralph, speaking with great excitement, "'cause I _knew_." "What did you know, my boy?" "That Harriet would save me, 'cause she,"--the words came out with a rush--"did it afore!"