of the girls were pale, and Harriet and Jane looked particularly tired.

"I'll tell you what you must do," declared Captain George during
breakfast. "When you wish to shift your position, let us know, and we'll
tow you about. Did your rope break?"

Harriet confessed that she had not looked. The captain said he would
look into the matter after breakfast. The first thing to be done, after
getting the equipment back on board, would be to tow the "Red Rover" off
the shore. To do this they arranged to pass a rope to the launch, the
launch to pull ahead while some of the boys pushed on the houseboat.

In the meantime, while waiting for the equipment to dry out, George and
his friend, Billy Gordon, who owned the launch, took Harriet and Jane to
town, where Jane wished to go to renew some of their supplies, as well
as to purchase a couple of flatirons with which to press their wet
clothing that had hung in the cabin when the deluge came.

During the trip George had drawn out the story of their previous
disaster when they had drifted ashore, though Harriet refrained from
mentioning the fact that their anchor rope had been cut on that
occasion. From George's questions it was plain that he suspected
something was wrong, though Harriet failed to gratify his suspicions by
direct answers to direct questions.

George explained, during the trip to the town, that the Tramp Club had
been invited by Billy Gordon, who owned the launch, to spend a few weeks
with him on the lake. He was to furnish the launch for their cruises,
while the boys supplied the camp equipment. Billy knew the lake and they
knew how to camp, and now that they had renewed acquaintance with their