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106 Between them, they helped her up the beach, past the point, and at length to the door of the hotel, where—reanimated by the mere promise of food—Rose disengaged their arms and entered without more assistance, while Barcus in his own famished eagerness was deterred from treading her heels by the hand of Alan falling heavily upon his arm.

"Wait!" the latter admonished in a half-whisper. "Look there!"

Barcus followed the direction of his gesture, and was transfixed by sight of a rocket appearing into the night-draped sky from a point invisible beyond the headland. The two consulted one another with startled and fearful eyes.

As with one voice they murmured one word:

"Judith!"

To this Alan added gravely:

"Or some spy of hers!" Then rousing, Alan released his friend, with a smart shove urging him across the threshold of the hotel.

"Go on," he insisted," Join Rose and get your supper. I'll be with you as soon as I can arrange for a boat. Tell her nothing more than that—that I thought it unwise to wait longer before looking round."

He turned to find his landlord approaching. His question was barely uttered before the man lifted a willing voice and hailed a fellow townsman idling nearby.