Page:Cornelia Meigs--The island of Appledore.djvu/201

Rh little breeze had arisen, but here, inside the point, the water was still very smooth. Over to the right they could see the lights of the  hotel; beyond, a little further around the  curve of the bay, the clustered, twinkling  lamps of the village. Above, on the hill, Billy could see the shining pointed windows of  the little church and could even distinguish  the sound of a hymn tune that came drifting  down to them. But here upon the shore all was utterly silent, while no amount of peering  through the blind dark could give any clue as  to what manner of ship might be swinging at  her anchor out yonder in the tide. Sally assured them in excited whispers that she could not have been mistaken, but the old Captain  made no reply, as he alternately puffed fiercely  upon his pipe or let it go out. He had just pulled out his match box to relight it for the  third time when Billy touched his arm.

“I hear it,” he whispered. “Listen.”

The monotonous creak of rowlocks was plainly to be heard now, and the quiet dip and  splash of oars as they rose and fell.

“But—but—they are coming from over toward the village: they are going past us,”  Sally exclaimed. “What can that mean?”