"Hould on there, me jewel, an' I'll give ye a lift. I'm the b'ye that kin do it."
"Oh, I hope he will get him out!" cried Ned, in great excitement. "Papa, you'll let them take him on board the yacht, won't you?"
"Certainly, if he wishes to be taken there," replied the captain, with a smiling glance at Cousin Ronald.
Just then the second voice called out, "Here he is--the half drownded Frenchman; an' now will the likes of yees aboord that craft take 'im in an' dry 'im off?"
"Of course; that's exactly what the captain would do if he were here," answered a third voice, which sounded exactly like that of the man at present in charge of the yacht.
"Oh, I'm glad he didn't drown!" exclaimed Elsie Raymond, with a sigh of relief.
"I presume such people don't often drown, Elsie dear," laughed her mother.
"Oh, mamma, I often hear of people drowning," said the little girl. "And, Uncle Harold, don't they need a doctor when they are nearly drowned?"
"They are very apt to," he replied with a slight laugh. "Do you want me to go down now and see about that man?"
"If you could, without getting wet," she answered hesitatingly.
"Suppose I go," said her Uncle Herbert; "I'm pretty well now, and am perhaps almost as skilful a physician as my older brother."
"I can't have either of my young brothers expose himself to this rain, for the men on the yacht are quite competent to deal with that Frenchman's case."
"I should say so indeed," said Mr. Lilburn gravely, "for it is not likely that he was in the water many minutes. So, my wee bonny bairnie Elsie, dinna fash yersel' ony mair aboot him," he concluded, with an affectionate look and smile into the face of the little girl.
"Oh, Cousin Ronald, did you do it all?" exclaimed Ned. "Dear me, how stupid I am! I might have known it was you."
"I doubt if you really know it yet, laddie," laughed the old gentleman.
Ned turned to his father. "Papa, may I take an umbrella and just run down to the _Dolphin_ for a few minutes to ask about it?"
"It is not worth while," replied the captain; "I am very sure you would make no discoveries."
"Then it was you, Cousin Ronald, wasn't it, now? Please own up," exclaimed Ned, with a laughing look into the old gentleman's face.
"Folk shouldna find fault with what they've asked for," was the old gentleman's non-committal rejoinder.