Page:Cornelia Meigs--The island of Appledore.djvu/197

Rh Wait they did through the length of a hot, sultry day. Aunt Mattie’s friendship for the Captain was even great enough to secure her  forgiveness for his having called Billy out of  church. The boy was sent up to the hotel with a great bunch of spring flowers as a peace  offering, but, having delivered them, he went  back to the cottage once more to spend the  slow hours sitting on Captain Saulsby’s doorstep or walking restlessly up and down the  garden.

What he was expecting, or what Captain Saulsby expected, he did not know at all; but  whatever the possibilities were, for long hours  nothing occurred. The sun disappeared under a cloud, the atmosphere grew hotter and heavier: it was plain that a storm was coming,  although as yet there was no wind. Far out to sea the big bell-buoy was rocking in the uneasy swells, and ringing fitfully. The time passed, the afternoon darkened to twilight, the  sun emerged a moment, then went down in a  blaze of angry, coppery red, but still nothing  happened. Perhaps Captain Saulsby had been quite mistaken.

It had grown quite dark and the church bells were ringing again for the evening serv-