The girls spent over an hour at the station and left more discouraged than ever. Although Enid was trying desperately to maintain her courage, she was beginning to fear that she might never see her father again.

Before returning to their motor boat they stopped at a street corner to purchase newspapers. The story of the kidnapping had been spread out on the front page in bold print and their own photographs stared them in the face.

“Oh, dear,” Enid lamented, “it’s dreadful to get you mixed up in this. I invited you here for a pleasant vacation and instead, plunged you into all this publicity.”

“I’m here to help,” Madge assured her. “If only we had something to work on!”

They walked on to the water front and were just boarding the motor boat when Madge clutched her friend by the arm.

“See that man over there! He’s the one I told you about—the boatman who ran away and left me aboard the yacht.”

Enid turned to look.

“Oh, I think I’ve seen him before. I don’t know his name but I’m sure he’s all right. He probably didn’t understand that you wanted him to wait.”

“Just the same, I’d like to talk with him again,” Madge said quietly.

They started toward the man but without seeming to observe their approach, he moved swiftly away to lose himself in an alley.

“See that, Enid! He knew we intended to question him!”

“Why, he didn’t even see us coming.”

“I think he did,” Madge insisted. “He pretended not to be looking our way, but all the while he was watching out the corner of his eye. One of these times I’ll catch him unaware!”

Since there was slight chance he would return, the girls went back to their boat and soon reached The Flora. They were informed by a sailor that during their absence Rex had been there. A number of reporters had called too, but had not been permitted to board the vessel.

“After lunch I must straighten up Father’s cabin,” Enid remarked to her chum. “I’d do it now only I have a headache. I believe I’ll lie down for an hour or so.”

After her friend had gone to her room, Madge sat out on deck and tried to read. Soon the magazine fell to her lap and she stared thoughtfully out across the bay. At length she arose.

“I may as well put Mr. Burnett’s cabin to rights,” she decided. “I know it’s a task Enid dreads.”

She found the cabin door unlocked and entered. Everything was just as she had discovered it the morning of her arrival at Cheltham Bay. After a preliminary survey, she began at one corner of the room, straightening rugs and rearranging furniture. She picked up newspapers, books and articles which had been hurled to the floor in the desperate struggle.

In righting the objects on the desk, her attention was attracted to a scrap of paper which had fallen to the floor. Madge did not recall having noticed it there before. Thinking that it must have blown from the desk when the door was opened, she bent down and picked it up.

She gave it a casual glance and then stared in blank astonishment.

“Great jumping snakes!” she exclaimed. “Where did this come from?”

With the paper clutched tightly in her hand, she darted out the door and ran toward Enid’s cabin.