Part 5 (1/2)
”Perhaps Stephen is here,--in the wood,” cried Mildred, in terror. ”I wish this water would make haste and run away, and let us get home.”
”It cannot run faster than it does. Look how the waves dash along!
That is the worst of it:--it shows what a quant.i.ty there is, where this came from. But I don't believe Stephen is here. I have a good mind to ask Roger, and make him tell me.”
”No, don't, Oliver! Stephen may be drowned. Do not put him in mind.”
”Why, you see he does not care for anything. He is teasing some live thing at this minute,--there, on the ground.”
Oliver himself forgot everything but the live animals before his eyes, when he saw how many there were under the trees. The gra.s.s was swarming with mice, moles, and small snakes; while rabbits c.o.c.ked up their little white tails, in all directions, and partridges flew out of every bush, and hares started from every hollow that the boy looked into.
”Ah soaked out of their holes;--don't know what to do with themselves;-- fine sport for those that have a mind to it,” said Roger, as he lay on the ground, pulling back a little mouse by its long tail, as often as it tried to run away.
”You have no mind for sport to-day, I suppose, Roger. I should not think anybody has.”
”I don't know;--I'm rarely hungry,” said the boy.
”So were we; but we forgot it again. Father is in the mill there...”
”You need not tell me that. Don't I see him?”
”But we think he is looking out for Stephen.”
”He won't find him,” said Roger, in a very low voice; so low that Oliver was not sure what he said.
”He is not here on the hill, then, Roger?”
”On the hill,--no! I don't know where he is, nor the woman either. I suppose they are drowned, as I was, nearly. If they did not swim as I did, they must be drowned: and they could hardly do that, as I had the dog.”
The children looked at each other; and their looks told that they thought Roger was shocked and sorry, though he tried not to appear so.
”There might have been a boat, perhaps, out on the carr. Don't you think the country-people in the hills would get out boats when they saw the flood spreading?”
”Boats, no! The hill-people have not above three boats among them all.
There are about three near the ponds; and they are like nut-sh.e.l.ls. How should any boat live in such a flood as that? Why, that flood would sweep a s.h.i.+p out to sea in a minute. You need not think about boats, I can tell you.”
”But won't anybody send a boat for us?” inquired Mildred, who had drawn near to listen. ”If they don't send a boat, and the flood goes on, what are we to do? We can't live here, with nothing to eat, and no beds, and no shelter, if it should rain.”
”Are you now beginning to cry about that? Are you now beginning to find that out, after all this time?” said Roger, contemptuously.
”I thought we should get away,” sobbed the little girl. ”I thought a boat or something would come.”
”A pretty silly thing you must be!” exclaimed Roger.
”If she is silly, I am silly too,” declared Oliver. ”I am not sure that it is silly to look for a boat. There are plenty out on the coast there.”
”They are all dashed to pieces long ago,” decided Roger. ”And they that let in the flood will take good care you don't get out of it,--you, and your outlanders. It is all along of you that I am in this sc.r.a.pe. But it was shameful of them not to give us notice;--it was too bad to catch us in the same trap with you. If uncle is drowned, and I ever get out alive, I will be revenged on them.”
Mildred stopped crying, as well as she could, to listen; but she felt like Oliver when he said,--