She was sure that Frank
must be more seriously hurt than he had said, or he would have had
himself taken off to the yacht instead of to the surgeon's. The
shaky and almost illegible handwriting showed the difficulty he
must have had in holding the pencil.
The boat made its way through the fleet till it reached the shallow
water which they had to cross on their way to the shore. Here, with
the exception of a few small craft, the water was clear of yachts.
Suddenly the long line of lights along the shore disappeared, and
something thick, heavy and soft fell over Bertha's head. An arm was
thrown round her, and Anna pressed tightly against her. In vain she
struggled. There was a faint, strange smell, and she lost
consciousness.
An hour passed without her return to the yacht, and Lady Greendale
began to fear that she had found Frank too ill to leave, and had
forgotten to send Anna back with the message. At last she touched
the bell.
"Will you tell the captain that I want to speak to him?"
"Captain," she said. "I am much alarmed about Major Mallett. That
boat that came off here an hour ago brought a note for my daughter,
saying that he had been hurt, and she went ashore with her maid to
see him.
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