I shall tell Tish’s story of what happened as she told it to Charlie Sands two weeks or so later.

“It is perfectly simple,” she said, “and it’s stupid to make such a fuss over it.  Don’t talk to me about breaking the law!  The girl came; I didn’t steal her.”

Charlie Sands, I remember, interrupted at that moment to remind her that she had shot a hole in the detective’s canoe; but this only irritated her.

“Certainly I did,” she snapped; “but it’s perfectly idiotic of him to say that it took off the heel of his shoe.  In that stony country it’s always easy to lose a heel.”

But to return to Tish’s story:—­

“It occurred to me,” she said, “that, if the launch had drifted to Mr. McDonald’s island, the canoe might have done so too; so I took a look round.  I’d been pretty much worried about having called the boy a spy when he wasn’t, and it worried me to think that he couldn’t get away from the place.  I never liked the red-haired man.  He was cruel to Aggie’s cat—­but we’ve told you that.

“I knew that in the morning the detective would see the P.T.S., as we called her, and he could get over and propose before breakfast.  But when I found the canoe—­yes, I found it—­I didn’t intend to do anything more than steal the detective’s boat.”

“Is that all?” said Charlie Sands sarcastically.  “You disappoint me, Aunt Letitia!  With all the chances you had—­to burn his pitiful little tent, for instance, or steal his suitcase—­”

“But on my way,” Tish went on with simple dignity, “it occurred to me that I could move things a step farther by taking the girl to Mr. McDonald and letting him have his chance right away.  Things went well from the start, for she was standing alone, looking out over the river.  It was dark, except for the starlight, and I didn’t know it was she.  I beached the canoe and she squealed a little when I spoke to her.”

“Just what,” broke in Charlie Sands, “does one say under such circumstances?  Sometime I may wish to abduct a young woman and it is well to be prepared.”

“I told her the young man she had expected was on Island Eleven and had sent me to get her.  She was awfully excited.  She said they’d seen his signal, but nothing of him.  And when they’d found a number of feminine things round they all felt a little—­well, you can understand.  She went back to get a coat, and while she was gone I untied the canoes and pushed them out into the river.  I’m thorough, and I wasn’t going to have a lot of people interfering before we got things fixed.”

It was here, I think, that Charlie Sands gave a low moan and collapsed on the sofa.  “Certainly!” he said in a stifled voice.  “I believe in being thorough.  And, of course, a few canoes more or less do not matter.”

“Later,” Tish said, “I knew I’d been thoughtless about the canoes; but, of course, it was too late then.”

“And when was it that you assaulted the detective?”