Just was wondering what he and Jeff were to say, but his brother was heaping reproaches upon himself, and sternly holding Jeff Birch responsible for the whole unfortunate affair.

By the time Lucy was herself again and able to breathe without distress, Evelyn had come flying down the path—–­the only other person roused by the distant shouts.  It had been a day full of active sports, and everybody was sleeping the sleep of the weary.  Even Charlotte had not been roused by Andy’s departure.

Just ran to the house for blankets; Evelyn, at Doctor Churchill’s direction, followed him to prepare a steaming hot drink for Lucy; and presently they had her in her bed, warm and dry, although much exhausted by her experience in the waters of the river, which were cold even on a June night.  Doctor Churchill had insisted on calling Charlotte, but Evelyn had begged him to arouse nobody else, and after one look into her face he had agreed.

At last, Lucy having dropped off to sleep under the soothing influence of the hot beverage, the others gathered quietly in a lower room.  The three wet ones had acquired dry if informal garments, and a council had been asked for by Evelyn.

“It’s entirely my fault,” began Jeff, promptly, and he plunged into a brief but graphic account of the accident.

“It’s not in the least your fault,” Evelyn interrupted, at last, as Jeff came to a pause with a repetition of his self-condemnation.  “It’s mine, if anybody’s.  I should have taken the whole thing to Mrs. Churchill at once, instead of trying to keep it quiet.”

“My meeting her down there alone was entirely my plan,” began Jeff again; but this time it was his sister Charlotte who interrupted.

“Neither of you is in the least to blame, my dears,” she said, smiling on them both.  “You had the best of motives, and the plan might have worked out well but for the child’s sudden mad idea of jumping into that boat.  I suppose she meant to row away.”

“She didn’t stop to cast off—­she couldn’t have got away before I should have been in the boat, too,” objected Jeff.

“That simply shows how out of her head with excitement she was.  But that’s all over.  She mercifully wasn’t drowned”—­a little involuntary shiver passed over the speaker—­“and we’ll hope for no serious consequences.  The thing now is to think how to act when she wakes in the morning.”

“I should say treat the whole thing for what it is, a childish escapade.  Show her the silliness of it, and then let it drop,” said Doctor Churchill.

Charlotte looked at him appealingly.

“Lucy and Ran go home next week,” she said, slowly.  “I hoped—­I wanted so much to send Lucy away with—­I can’t express it—­a little bit higher ideals than any she has known before.  I thought we were succeeding; she has seemed more considerate and less fault-finding.”

“She certainly has,” Evelyn agreed quickly, and the two looked at each other.  There was an instant’s silence; then Just spoke: