CHAPTER XVII.

DORY DORNWOOD DECIDES TO "FACE THE MUSIC."

"I'm not going back to Plattsburgh!" exclaimed Corny Minkfield. "My mother will want to know what has become of me by this time."

"What are you going to do, Corny?" asked Dory in the gentlest of tones.

"I am going back to Burlington," answered Corny.

"All right! I don't object," added Dory, as he headed the boat for Plattsburgh.

Thad laughed, and Nat and d.i.c.k smiled. Corny talked and acted as though he "owned things;" and the others were rather pleased to see him taken down a peg when he was in this mood.

"You promised to take us back to Burlington, Dory; and now you are going to drag us back to Plattsburgh," growled Corny.

"But you don't want to sail all over the lake with a thief. If I go to Burlington now, I shall be running away from the officers. I must go to Plattsburgh, and face the music."

"Hurrah for Dory!" shouted Thad. "Is that the way a thief does it?"

"Hurrah for Dory!" added d.i.c.k Short. "That isn't the way a thief does it."

"But I want to go home. I don't want my mother to worry about me," added Corny.

"You called me a thief just now, and I can't run away from the place where they accuse me. I will put you ash.o.r.e at the light-house, or on Colchester Point."

"You might as well put me ash.o.r.e on Stave Island. I want to go back to Burlington."

"We are bound to Plattsburgh now; and I shall not stop to rest until I have seen the men that charge me with stealing that money," replied Dory very decidedly.

"The man that charges you is in that steamer, and you run away from him," retorted Corny.

"The Missisquoi is hard and fast aground. If I give myself up to him, I shall only have to stay on board of her all day; for he may not get off.

I may be in Plattsburgh before he is."

Corny grumbled a while longer, but the skipper took no further notice of him. The course of the Goldwing carried her within a short distance of the stern of the Missisquoi. Captain Vesey and Pearl had tugged at the poles until they saw that it was useless to attempt to get the steamer off in that way.

Pearl was plainly disgusted with the situation. The bow of the boat was as far out of water as when the schooner pa.s.sed her before, and the efforts with the poles had not started her a hair. When the enterprising extra pilot of the steamer saw the Goldwing coming, he hastened to the stern.

"Come alongside, Dory Dornwood! I will make it as easy as I can for you when we get to Plattsburgh. Take me on board," shouted Pearl.

"I am going to Plattsburgh to face the music," replied Dory.

"Take me with you!" called Pearl.

"I don't want you," answered Dory.

"I can get you off, and make it all right with you."

"No, I thank you," added Dory; and he declined to take any further notice of his persecutor.

For the present the excitement was ended. It was about seven in the morning, as Dory judged by the height of the sun. Thad got out the provisions; and, though there was not much variety to the repast, the boys ate heartily. After the meal some of them went to sleep. Before ten o'clock the Goldwing was alongside the wharf, in the position where Dory had first seen her.

The skipper lowered the sails with the help of the rest of the club, though Corny was still too much disgruntled to do any thing. Every thing was put in order on board, and Dory locked the cabin. Before he had finished, Corny went off alone. Just as the party were going to leave the wharf, a couple of men came down. They walked directly to the boat, as though they had seen her coming up the bay, and had business with her.

"Is this the boat that went off from here yesterday morning?" asked one of the men.

"Yes, sir: this is the boat," replied Dory, hoping that the men's business related to the charge against him.

"Are you the boy that bought her?" continued the man who did the talking.

"Yes, sir: I am the one that bought her and paid for her," answered Dory. "Do you know of anybody in this town that wants to see me?"

"I can't say I do," said the man, looking at the other one, and laughing.

"There was a little steamer here in the forenoon."

"That was the Missisquoi."

"A man went off in her to look up this boat. Have you seen any thing of the steamer?" asked the man.

"Yes, sir: she is hard and fast aground on the Colchester shoal, near Law Island. The man that went in her to look up this boat was Pearl Hawlinshed. I don't believe in him, and I kept out of the way of him and his steamer."

"How could you keep out of the way of a steamer in a sailboat?"

"I managed it. But I didn't know till he hailed me from the steamer that I was charged with stealing some money from one of the hotels. Can you tell me any thing about the matter, sir?"

"I think we can tell you all about it," replied the speaker. "This is Mr. Moody, the man that lost the money."

"And this is Mr. Peppers, the detective, who is looking up the case,"

added Mr. Moody.

"As soon as I heard about it, I came back to face the music," said Dory.

"Your name is Dory Dornwood, I learn," said Mr. Peppers.

"Theodore Dornwood is my name, but I am called 'Dory.'"

"Just now we are rather more anxious to find the other man than we are to get hold of you," continued Peppers. "I don't believe there will be much music for you to face, Dory."

"But Mr. Hawlinshed said I was wanted here, and I have come. Is he an officer?" asked Dory.

"He is no officer, and he had no right to arrest you."

"Hallo, fellows!" shouted Corny Minkfield, coming down the wharf: "there is a steamer over here which is going to Burlington, and we can go in her."