CHAPTER XXII
RETURN TO BECKFOOT
Daisy looked at her watch worriedly as they all stood around the small beach of the secret harbour, John was talking to Nancy about sailing Swallow and Amazon around from the landing place, wondering if they could still manoeuvre their boats in to the harbour using the marks to avoid the sunken stones under the water in the entrance. The others turned around and had begun to amble their way back to the camp.
"It's time we went back. How long Nancy to get back to Beckfoot, I've got dinner to get ready and cook!"
"Yes of course, sorry, we better be on our way. We could come back and try tomorrow John, just you and me?" John was tempted by the idea, particularly of sailing Swallow alone.
"We could, do you mind Daisy?"
"No, not at all, I know she misses being here, what about Peggy?"
"She won't mind either, we come here quite often but only to check all is well, the sailing part doesn't bother her that much these days." Nancy was slightly saddened to hear him say that, her sister had changed.
The three of them followed the others along the path to the campsite. Before they reached there Dick, who was ahead of them turned around and was walking back towards the harbour, he had been rather quiet earlier on, but suddenly spoke quietly to them as if he didn't want the others to hear.
"I've got it, I know how Dot can use her money!"
"What have you thought of?" Nancy was curious.
"Look, I wont say now, I'll talk about it this evening, I'm sure Dot will expect me to say something."
The four of them then walked on to the campsite to join the others, they gathered up the knapsacks and made their way to the landing place, prepared their respective boats and once launched from the beach sailed back down the lake to the Amazon River and Beckfoot.