“I do not know,” he replied non-commitally,—“what can I do. I have a serious errand. I dare not leave you here alone, and I can not take you home now.”
“Oh, I am afraid of those men,—_do_ not _leave_ me!” cried Betty.
“Yes; I waited to pick a flower and told the girls, or Cathalina to go on.”
“I don’t know. If he had gone home, I should think they would have come for me right away. I must have been unconscious a long time.”
“Miss Betty, I have been interested in you for some time. Could you think of going away with me tonight. Could you forget your prejudice against my nation? I shall have large sums of money and could make you happy.” The young man’s eyes sparkled as with perfect poise he stood looking down on the forlorn Betty.
Betty’s eyes closed in sick surprise. Surely no girl ever listened to a proposal under such difficult circumstances. While not an actual assassin, the man had been planning death for her countrymen and justified it under the name of patriotism for another country. He had been playing a part at Grant Academy.
“Oh, Captain Holley!” she cried—“I’m too sick to think of anything! No, of course I would not go away with anybody without my parents’ knowledge! But I do trust you to be good to me,” she added, her lips trembling.
“You are a very beautiful girl,” said Captain Holley, his cold face expressing no feeling now. “You will think of me and change your mind. Come.”
Betty had heard the humming of a motor, but remembered that she must not show any knowledge of what had been said about the hydroplane.
Putting his arm around the shaken girl, the young officer led her down some rude steps at the rear of the building to the foot of the bluff. She thought as she went how cleverly these must be concealed. But as she reached the bottom, she felt so sick again, that she reeled against her companion, who picked her up, carried her over the rocks and put her into something at the water’s edge, something with wings, a dark shadow in the night, for the moon was hid by clouds.
Betty was fastened in and off they glided, presently rising from the water and cutting through the cold night air. Betty had ceased to care what became of her, though she drowsily longed to get to some comfortable place and go to sleep. These were water wings indeed, more interesting than the “night hawk,” but how cold it was! Next, they were descending, upon the water once more, and approaching some landing.