Long as the day was, and so dreary, in spite of all the bright, warm sunshine, there was no help for it: the hours would not hurry, and the wanderers would not return.

Tea-time came at last; and with it the Fosters all came over to Mrs.Kinzer's again, to take tea, and tell her of several fishermen who had returned from the bay without having discovered a sign of "The Swallow" or its crew.
Stout-hearted Mrs.Kinzer talked bravely and encouragingly, nevertheless, and did not seem to abate an ounce of her confidence in her son.

It seemed as if, in leaving off his roundabouts, particularly considering the way in which he had left them off, Dabney must have suddenly grown a great many "sizes" in his mother's estimation.

Perhaps, too, that was because he had not left them off any too soon.
There they sat around the tea-table, the two mothers and all the rest of them, looking gloomy enough; while over there in her bit of a brown house, in the village, sat Mrs.Lee in very much the same frame of mind, trying to relieve her feelings by smoothing imaginary wrinkles out of her boy's best clothes, and planning for him any number of bright red neckties, if he would only come back to wear them.
The neighbors were becoming more than a little interested, and even excited about the matter; but what was there to be done?
Telegrams had been sent to other points on the coast, and all the fishermen notified.

It was really one of those puzzling cases, where even the most neighborly can do no better than "wait a while." Still, there were more than a dozen people, of all sorts, including Bill Lee, lingering around the "landing" as late as eight o'clock that evening.
Suddenly one of them exclaimed,-- "There's a light coming in!" Others followed with,-- "There's a boat under it!" "Ham's boat carried a light." "I'll bet it's her!" "No, it isn't"-- "Hold on and see." There was not long to "hold on;" for in three minutes more "The Swallow" swept gracefully in with the tide, and the voice of Dab Kinzer shouted merrily,-- "Home again! Here we are!" Such a ringing volley of cheers answered him! It was heard and understood away there in the parlor of the Morris house, and brought every soul of that anxious circle right up standing.
"Must be it's Dab!" exclaimed Mrs.Kinzer.
"O mother!" said Annie, "is Ford safe ?" "They wouldn't cheer like that, my dear, if any thing had happened," remarked Mr.Foster; but, in spite of his coolness, the city lawyer forgot to put his hat on, as he dashed out of the front gate and down the road towards the landing.
Then came one of those times that it takes a whole orchestra and a gallery of paintings to tell any thing about: for Mrs.Lee as well as her husband was on the beach; and within a minute after "Captain Kinzer" and his crew had landed, poor Dick was being hugged and scolded within an inch of his life, and the two other boys found themselves in the midst of a perfect tumult of embraces and cheers.
Frank Harley's turn came soon, moreover; for Ford Foster found his balance, and introduced the "passenger from India" to his father.
"Frank Harley!" exclaimed Mr.Foster.