pproached so
noiselessly that they had not heard us. I easily leaped to the level on
which they were kneeling, and uttered their names. They both sprang to
their feet, and throwing their arms round me, burst into tears.

"We were praying to God for help, but thought it would come from the
sea," exclaimed Edith, as soon as she could find words to speak. "How
did you know we were here? And poor mamma, how frightened she must have
been at not seeing us! That made us more unhappy than anything else all
the night long. We had brought some food, so we were not hungry; and
see! there is a spring of water issuing from the cliff, and that gave us
what we wanted to drink. But we have been very frightened, and know
that we have been exceedingly naughty in coming so far by ourselves. We
got as far as this, and were sitting down, very happy, when we began to
think it was time to go home; but we had not got far before we found the
water close up to the cliff, and we could not pass. It rose higher and
higher, so we ran back and got into this cave just before the sea
reached the part of the beach by which alone we could gain it. At first
we thought that it would perhaps come right up into the cave and drown
us. On and on it came, and we got farther and farther back; and oh, how
thankful we were when at length we saw it stop and come no higher!"

I did not scold Edith or Pierce; and I felt very thankful that the
weather had been so calm, for had there been any wind the surf would
have broken into the cave, and certainly have swept them away.

We had now to consider how we were to return. I proposed to Doyle that
we should wait till the tide had gone down, and then get along the beach
by the way they had come.

"But maybe the tide won't go down as low as it did yesterday; and if it
doesn't, there are many places you will be unable to get across," said
Doyle.

"Then the best thing we can do is to send round for the boat," I
observed. "If you will climb up to the top of the cliff, I will stay
with my brother and sister."

"To confess the truth, Mr Godfrey, it's just the thing I don't think is
as aisy as it looks," said Doyle. "I'll try to do it, to please you;
but I rather think our friend Pullingo, though not brought up to the
sea, will do it more aisy."

"But how is he to make them understand that we have found the children
and want the boat?" I asked.

"Haven't you got a pencil and paper!" exclaimed Edith. "Just