"And in Motor Matt," chuckled the millionaire, beside her.
A vivid flush suffused Ethel's cheeks, though just why her emotions should express themselves was something of a mystery.
The party debarked and was conducted into the boathouse. Matt opened the doors at the other end of the building and admitted a good light for inspecting the boat.
All three of the boys were intensely proud of the _Sprite_. In her fresh coat of varnish she looked as spick and span as a new dollar.
McGlory was a nephew of Mr. Lorry's, and, while he was explaining things at one end of the boat to "Uncle Dan," Matt was performing the same service for Ethel at the other end of the craft.
When Mr. Lorry and Ethel had expressed their admiration for the _Sprite_, and their confidence in her ability to "lift" the cup, chairs were carried out on the pier. McGlory went across the lake for ice cream, and the party visited gayly until sunset. When the launch departed, George remained behind, having expressed his intention of staying with his friends at the boathouse that night.
Ping was engaged in clearing up the dishes--part of the camp equipment--on which the ice cream had been served, and McGlory was making the doors at the other end of the boathouse secure. Dusk was falling gently, and overhead the stars were beginning to glimmer in a cloudless sky, soft as velvet. It was a time for optimism, and a lulling sense of security had taken possession of all the boys.
"The clouds don't seem to be gathering very much, after all, George," remarked Matt.
"I must have been mistaken about Merton," returned George. "That roll of drawings, I suppose, has convinced him that the changes we were making in the _Sprite_ were not of enough account to worry him."
McGlory came from the boathouse in time to hear the words.
"We've got Merton fooled," he chuckled, dropping down in a chair, "and I ain't sure but that it's the best thing that ever happened to us, the theft of those drawings."
"That's the way it may turn out, Joe," agreed Matt. "Still, even if Merton knew exactly what we had done to the _Sprite_ I don't see how he could help matters any. The _Dart_, from what I can hear, is supposed to be by long odds the fastest boat on the lakes. How could he improve on her, even if Merton knew the _Sprite_ was a dangerous rival?"