Page:Leah Reed--Brenda's summer at Rockley.djvu/122

108 nervousness by an excited, “Oh, is it likely to?” and of the five, Brenda was the only one who seemed not to be  afraid of the sputtering, throbbing little engine.

Nevertheless, Brenda herself would have been as glad as Philip to see one of the distant yachts turn about and  come to their help. It was n’t that there was any danger of their drifting ashore, of striking a rock, or anything of  that kind. It was simply that she felt that if Philip did n’t understand the engine, and if the miserable little thing kept on spluttering like that, why, all in a moment  something terrible might happen.

“There,” said Philip, “I know why Tom does n’t signal, or send some one. He’s gone ashore. One of the men on the ‘Sachem’ was to take him over to the ‘Eastern’  to introduce him to a party of ladies whom he wanted him  to meet. He expected to be back on the ‘Balloon’ by the time we got there. But we ’re really a little ahead of time, and—”

Brenda herself was now really perturbed. “Do you mean to say, Philip Blair, that we ’ve got to sit here  just to see what will happen? Really, it seems as if you might have thought to bring your oars with you,  or something.”

“There’s a boat coming this way,” said Nora, who sat facing Philip.

“Where?” exclaimed Brenda. “Let’s fly signals of distress,” and Julia followed her example by shaking out  her handkerchief. The row-boat now seemed to move along more quickly, and, as it drew nearer, they saw that