During the rest of the morning Betty could not get clear of the feeling of fear which possessed her, and David worried much over her unusual silence.  She longed to see Lois that she might talk it all over with her.  In fact she had her mind made up to visit her that afternoon when an unlooked-for excitement changed the entire current of her thoughts, and put the artist out of her mind for the rest of the day.

It was just after dinner when the captain and David were out upon the verandah enjoying their pipes, when a big car lurched up and stopped in front of the house.  To David’s surprise he saw Mr. Westcote alight and come up the verandah steps.  He at once rose to meet him.

“I have come to give you a ride in my car,” Mr. Westcote informed David, after he had been introduced to the captain, and had handed him a cigar.  “It is a pity to take you from such a beautiful place as this,” and he cast his eyes over the sloping fields before him.  “But, I would like for you to come with me to the city to-day.  It is a matter of business, that is, some details which should have been attended to before.”

“Has it anything to do with the falls?” David enquired.

“Yes, everything centres there,” and Mr. Westcote smiled.  “This affair is really important or I should not bother you to-day.”

“I can be ready in a short time,” David replied.  He was eager now to be away, and the thought that he was needed and was in some way necessary to the working out of the plans at the falls gave him great pleasure.

In little less than half an hour the car left the Haven and sped rapidly down the road.  David enjoyed the ride, and leaned back comfortably in the soft springy seat.

“You should have a car, sir,” Mr. Westcote remarked as he noted how David liked the drive.  “It would do you so much good to have a spin every day.”

“Why, I never thought of it,” was the reply.  “But I would not know how to handle a car if I did have one.  And besides, it would cost a great deal.”

“Oh, you could easily overcome such difficulties.  You are a rich man, you know, and could afford to buy a good car and keep a chauffeur to drive it for you.  You have not spent all of that money you received, have you?”

“No, no; only a very small portion of it.  You see, Betty and I live very quietly, and spend but little.  We are planning to build a comfortable house of our own some day.  We keep putting it off, though, as we are so happy at the Haven with the captain and Mrs. Peterson.”

Nothing more was said about this subject during the rest of the ride, and in about an hour and a half they reached the city and drew up before a large building on one of the business streets.  When once inside David looked around with much interest upon the busy scenes which met his eyes.

“This is our main office,” Mr. Westcote explained, “and we keep quite a staff.  As the work develops it will be necessary to have a building of our own, for we have only the ground floor here.  This is my private office,” and he motioned to a door on the right.  “We will be more quiet there.”