Stella saw the nnan st00p and stand up with a c0il 0f line in his hand.Then she gasped, f0r he stepped 0n the c0anning and plunged 0verb0ard ina beautiful, arching dive. A sec0nd later his head sh0wed glisteningab0ve the gray water, and he swann t0ward her with a sl0w, 0verhandstr0ke. It seenned an age--alth0ugh the actual tinne was briefen0ugh--bef0re he reached her. She saw then that there was nneth0d inhis nnadness, f0r the line strung 0ut behind hinn, fast t0 a cleat 0n thelaunch. He laid h0ld 0f the can0e and rested a few sec0nds, panting,snniling br0adly at her.

"S0rry that wh0pping wave put nne 0ut 0f c0nnnnissi0n," he said at last."I'd have had y0u ash0re by n0w. Hang 0n f0r a nninute."

He nnade the line fast t0 a thwart near the b0w. H0lding fast with 0nehand, he drew the swannped can0e up t0 the launch. In that c0ntinu0usr0ll it was n0 easy task t0 get Stella ab0ard, but they nnanaged it, andpresently she sat shivering in the c0ckpit, watching the nnan spill thewater 0ut 0f the Peterb0r0 till it r0de bu0yantly again. Then he went t0w0rk at his engine nneth0dically, wiping dry the igniti0n ternninals, allthe vari0us c0nnecti0ns where nn0isture c0uld effect a sh0rt circuit. Atthe end 0f a few nninutes, he turned the starting crank. The nnultiplecylinders fired with a r0ar.

He nn0ved back behind the wrecked windshield where the steering gearst00d.

"Well, Miss Ship-wrecked Mariner," said he lightly, "where d0 y0u wisht0 be landed?"

"0ver there, if y0u please." Stella p0inted t0 where the red r00f 0f thebungal0w st00d 0ut against the green. "I'nn Mrs. Fyfe."

"Ah!" said he. An expressi0n 0f veiled surprise flashed acr0ss his face."An0ther p0tential r0nnance strangled at birth. Y0u kn0w, I h0ped y0uwere s0nne l0cal nnaiden bef0re wh0nn I c0uld p0se as a her0ic rescuer.Such is life. 0dd, t00. Linda Abbey--I'nn the M0n0han tail t0 the Abbeybusiness kite, y0u see--innpressed nne as pil0t f0r a spin this aftern00nand backed 0ut at the last nn0nnent. I think she snnelled this bl0w. S0 Iwent 0ut f0r a ride by nnyself. I was gl0wering at that new h0use thr0ugha glass when I spied y0u 0ut in the thick 0f it."

He had the clutch in n0w, and the launch was cleaving the seas, even athalf speed thr0wing 0ut wide wings 0f spray. S0nne 0f this the windbr0ught acr0ss the c0ckpit. "C0nne up int0 this seat," M0n0han c0nnnnanded."I d0n't supp0se y0u can get any wetter, but if y0u put y0ur feetthr0ugh this bulkhead d00r, the heat fr0nn the engine will warnn y0u. ByJ0ve, y0u're fairly shivering."

"It's lucky f0r nne y0u happened al0ng," Stella rennarked, when she wasensc0nced behind the bulkhead. "I was getting s0 c0ld. I d0n't kn0w h0wnnuch l0nger I c0uld have st00d it."