There seemed n.o.body to answer him; they did not know what he meant.
The boy shot through the water like a fish. Coming near the rock, he rose up with a sudden muscular effort, then dived deep. The green water closed over him and, when Helen and the others reached the spot where Mary c.o.x stood, wringing her hands and moaning, Tom had disappeared as utterly as Ruth herself.
CHAPTER XVI
RUTH"S SECRET
"What has happened?"
"Where"s Ruth?"
"Mary c.o.x! why don"t you answer?"
The Fox for once in her career was stunned. She could only shake her head and wring her hands. Helen was the first of the other girls to suspect the trouble, and she cried:
"Ruth"s overboard! That"s the reason Tom has gone in. Oh, oh! why don"t they come up again?"
And almost immediately all the others saw the importance of that question. Ruth Fielding had been down fully a minute and a half now, and Tom had not come up once for air.
Nita had set off running around the head of the inlet, and Crab shuffled along in her wake. The strange girl ran like a goat over the rocks.
Phineas, who had been aboard the motor boat and busy with his famous culinary operations, now came lumbering up to the spot. He listened to a chorused explanation of the situation--tragic indeed in its appearance.
Phineas looked up and down the rocky path, and across the inlet, and seemed to swiftly take a marine "observation." Then he snorted.
"They"re all right!" he exclaimed.
"_What?_" shrieked Helen.
"All right?" repeated Heavy. "Why, Phineas----"
She broke off with a startled gurgle. Phineas turned quickly, too, and looked over the high boulder. There appeared the head of Ruth Fielding and, in a moment, the head of Tom Cameron beside it.
"You both was swept through the tunnel into the pool behind, sir," said Phineas, wagging his head.
"Oh, I was never so scared in my life," murmured Ruth, clambering down to the path, the water running from her clothing in little streams.
"Me, too!" grunted Tom, panting. "The tide sets in through that hole awfully strong."
"I might have told you about it," grunted Phineas; "but I didn"t suppose airy one of ye was going for to jump into the sea right here."
"We didn"t--intentionally," declared Ruth.
"How ever did it happen, Ruthie?" demanded Heavy.
There was a moment"s silence. Tom grew red in the face, but he kept his gaze turned from Mary c.o.x. Ruth answered calmly enough:
"It was my own fault. Mary was just coming along to pa.s.s me. I had a bite. Between trying to let her by and "tending my fish," I fell in--and now I have lost fish, line, and all."
"Be thankful you did not lose your life, Miss Fielding," said Aunt Kate. "Come right down to the boat and get those wet things off. You, too, Tom."
At that moment Nita came to the spot. "Is she safe? Is she safe?" she cried.
"Don"t I look so?" returned Ruth, laughing gaily. "And here"s the fish I _did_ catch. I mustn"t lose him."
Nita stepped close to the girl from the Red Mill and tugged at her wet sleeve.
"What are you going to do to her?" she whispered.
"Do to who?"
"That girl."
"What are you talking about?" demanded Ruth.
"I saw her," said Nita. "I saw her push you. She ought to be thrown into the water herself."
"Hush!" commanded Ruth. "You"re mistaken. You didn"t see straight, my dear."
"Yes, I did," declared the Western girl, firmly. "She"s been mean to you, right along. I"ve noticed it. She threw you in."
"Don"t say such a thing again!" commanded Ruth, warmly. "You have no right."
"Huh!" said Nita, eyeing her strangely. "It"s your own business, I suppose. But I am not blind."
"I hope not," sad Ruth, calmly. "But I hope, too, you will not repeat what you just said--to anyone."
"Why--if you really don"t want me to," said Nita, slowly.
"Truly, I don"t wish you to," said Ruth, earnestly. "I don"t even admit that you are right, mind----"
"Oh, it"s your secret," said Nita, shortly, and turned away.
And Ruth had a word to say to Tom, too, as they hurried side by side to the boat, he carrying the fish. "Now, Tommy--remember!" she said.
"I won"t be easy in my mind, just the same, while that girl is here,"
growled Master Tom.
"That"s foolish. She never meant to do it."
"Huh! She was scared, of course. But she"s mean enough----"
"Stop! somebody will hear you. And, anyway," Ruth added, remembering what Nita had said, "it"s _my_ secret."
"True enough; it is."