“I will make a neater job of it afterwards,” he said to himself.  “That will do for the present, and I can get at it in a moment.”

The wedding went off as such things generally do.  The church was crowded, the girls of the village school lined the path from the gate to the church door, and strewed flowers as the bridal party arrived; and as they drove off to Greendale tenants of both estates, collected in the churchyard, cheered them heartily.  There was a large gathering at breakfast, but at last the toasts were all drunk, and the awkward time of waiting over, and at three o’clock Major Mallett and his wife drove off amidst the cheers of the crowd assembled to see them start.

“Thank God that is all over,” Frank said heartily as they passed out through the lodge gates.

At half-past eight Captain Hawkins was standing at the landing stage in a furious passion.

“Where can that fellow Jackson have got to?” he said, stamping his foot.  “I said that you were all to be back in a quarter of an hour when we landed, and it is three quarters of an hour now.  I never knew him to do such a thing before, and I would not have had such a thing happen this evening for any money.  What will the Major think when he finds only five men instead of six in the gig, on such an occasion as this?  We shall be having them down in a minute or two.  Jackson had better not show his face on board after this.  It is the most provoking thing I ever knew.”

“It ain’t his way, captain,” one of the men said.  “Jackson can go on the spree like the rest of us, but I never knew him to do such a thing all the years I have known him, when there was work to be done; and I am sure he would not do so this evening.  He may have got knocked down or run over or something.”

“I will take an oar if you like, captain,” said a man in a yachtsman’s suit, who was loitering near.  “I have nothing to do, and may as well row off as do anything else.  You can put me on shore in the dinghy afterwards.”

“All right, my lad, take number two athwart.  It is too dark to see faces, and the owner is not likely to notice that there is a strange hand on board.  I will give you half a crown gladly for the job.”

The man got into the boat and took his seat.

“Here they come,” the captain went on.  “We are only just in time.  Up-end your oars, lads.  We ain’t strong enough to cheer, but we will give them a hearty ‘God bless you!’ as they come down.”

George Lechmere came on first, and handed in a bundle of wraps, parasols, and umbrellas.  The captain stood at the top of the steps, and as Frank and Bertha came up took off his hat.

“God bless you and your wife, sir,” he said, and the men re-echoed the words in a deep chorus.

“Thank you, captain.

“Thank you all, lads, for my wife and myself,” Frank said, heartily, and a minute later the boat pushed off.

The tide was running out strong, and they were halfway across it towards the dark mass of yachts, when there was a sudden crash forward.