Part 12 (1/2)

”Oh! Oliver, where is he? What have you done?” cried Mildred, as her brother arrived at the wall.

Oliver was very hot, and his lips quivered as he answered,--

”I don't know what I have done. I could not help it. He wanted me not to come to you when you screamed. He wanted to catch the chest instead.

I tripped him up--off into the water. He can swim. But there is the tub--give me hold of the rope--quick! I will send it out into the stream. He may meet it.”

Down went all the gathered apples into the water, within the wall, and off went the tub outside. Oliver fastened the line round a heavy stone in the wall.

”I wish I had never screamed!” exclaimed Mildred.

”I am sure I wish so too. You _must_ leave off screaming so, Mildred.

I am sure I thought you were in the water, in the middle of all that splash, or I should not have been in such a hurry. If Roger should be drowned, it will be all your doing, for screaming so.”

Mildred did not scream now; but she cried very bitterly. It was soon seen, however, that Roger was safe. He was swimming in the still water on the opposite side, and presently landed beside the pony and cow. He left off wringing the wet out of his hair and clothes, to shake both his fists at Oliver in a threatening way.

”Oh, look at him! He will kill you!” cried Mildred. ”I never will scream again.”

”Never mind, as long as he is safe,” said Oliver. ”I don't care for his shaking his fists. It was my business to save you, before caring about him, or all the chests in the Levels. Never mind now, dear. You wont scream again without occasion, I know. What made you do so? You can't think what a shriek it was. It went through my head.”

”Part of the wall fell; and the whole of it shakes so, I am sure it will all be down presently. I wish we were at home. But what shall we ever do about Roger? He will kill you, if you go near him: and he can't stay there.”

”Leave Roger to me,” said Oliver, feeling secretly some of his sister's fear of the consequences of what had just pa.s.sed. He stepped on the wall, and was convinced that it was shaking,--almost rocking. He declared that it was quite unsafe, and that he must look to the remaining walls before they slept another night in the building.

Mildred must get upon the raft immediately. What was that heap of blue cloth?

Mildred explained, and the cloth was declared too valuable to be left behind. Two pairs of hands availed to pull up the end which stuck under water, and then the children found themselves in possession of a whole piece of home-spun.

”May we use it? We did not make it, or buy it,” said Mildred.

”I thought of that too,” replied her brother. ”We will see about that.

It is our business to save it, at any rate; so help me with it. How heavy it is with the water!”

They pulled a dozen apples, and rowed away home with their prize.

Ailwin said, as she met them on the stairs, that she was glad enough to see them home again; and more especially without Roger.

”Roger must be fetched, however,” said Oliver, ”and the sooner the better.”

”Oh not yet!” pleaded Mildred. ”He is so angry!”

”That is the very thing,” said Oliver. ”I want to show him that I tripped him over, not in anger, but because I could not help it. He will never believe but that it was malice, from beginning to end, if I do not go for him directly.”

”But he will thrash you. You know he can. He is ever so much stronger than you; and he is in such a pa.s.sion, I do not know what he may not do.”

”What can I do?” said Oliver. ”I can't leave him there, standing dripping wet, with the cow and the pony.”

”Would it be of any use if I were to go with you, and say it was all my fault?” asked Mildred, trembling.

”No, no; you must not go.”