Mr. Jarley--whose figure was all the girls could see in the catboat--leaned over and waved his hand to the girls. Was it meant to be reassuring? They did not know until the _Coquette_ tacked so as to run down very close to them. "Is that his girl with you, Miss Mallory?" demanded Polly's father. "No. She did not come. She doesn't know," cried Wyn. "Oh, Mr. Jarley! is he all right?" At that Mr. Lavine's head and shoulders appeared above the rail. "We're alive, girls," he called, hoarsely. "This brave fellow caught us just in time. Where's Bess?" "She doesn't even know it was you in the burning boat," cried Wyn. "But Frank and I started out for you." "You'd been awfully wet before ever we could have reached you, though, Mr. Lavine," choked Frank, quickly turning from tears to laughter, as was her nature. Mr. Jarley had dropped the sail again, and beckoned the girls to approach. "Come aboard," he said, gravely, "and I'll tow your canoes behind us. Shall I take this gentleman to your camp, Miss Mallory?" But Wyn was thinking to good purpose. She saw that Mr. Jarley, like his daughter, wished to have nothing to do with the Lavines. She knew that now Mr. Lavine would be doubly grateful to the boatman and that the time was ripe for the old friends to come to a better understanding. "Why, Mr. Jarley," she said, "we haven't a thing at the camp he can put on--or the other man. No, sir. I don't know what we should do with them there." Jarley's face flushed and he glanced back at the Forge. But it was near sunset already, and the Forge was much farther away than his own landing. The case was obvious. "Well," he said, "I can take them home. Polly will find something for them to put on while their clothing is being dried. Yes! that may be best." "And you take us girls right along with you and we'll paddle home from the landing," declared Wyn. Wyn wanted to see Polly. After all, she believed, it lay with the boatman's daughter to make friends between the Jarleys and the Lavines. The captain of the Go-Ahead Club felt as though her long and exciting vacation under canvas would come to a very happy conclusion if she could see the two men who had once been such close friends, reunited. Wyn was the first one ashore when the bow of the catboat touched the landing. Polly came running from the cottage, for she had spied their approach. "Oh, Wynnie!" she cried, "what was it? Did father get them safely?" "He saved them both--the most wonderful thing, Polly Jolly!" cried Wyn. "Not so wonderful," corrected Polly, with pride. "My father has saved the lives of people from the lake before." "But it _is_ wonderful," quoth Wyn, "because one of the men saved is Bessie's father." "Mr. Lavine!" gasped Polly. "Yes. Now he owes his life to your father, just as Bess owes hers to you." "Don't talk so, Wyn," begged Polly. "It's nothing." "Nothing! It's everything! Don't stand in the way of your father and Bessie's being good friends again."