hether he should go back to bed.

"No! Rubbish!" he said. "I'll go and rouse up old Josh. Yes, and wake
up Mr Manners, too. He'd like to see this glorious sky--ah! what's
that?"

That was something unusual which had just caught his eye, for as he
spoke he turned to look right along the top of the dam, where he seemed
to see a strange disturbance on the surface of the water just at the end
where the wall joined the rugged cliff.

"It must be a great trout," he said, "one that's being beaten against
the stones, and is half-dead. No; I believe it's an otter."

He ran along the top of the wall and looked down in wonder, to see that
a strange whirlpool seemed to have been formed, where twigs of dead
wood, bits of grass, and autumn leaves were sailing round and round,
before being sucked down a central hole.

"What does that mean?" he thought; but he acted as well as thought,
going quite to the edge of the wall, and then descending the steep
built-up slope of stones and cemented earth, to where at the base of the
dam-wall he found himself face to face with a sight so suggestive of
peril that he turned at once and ran for the mill.

For there below, gushing as it were from the bottom of the wall, was a
little stream--a little fount equalling in bulk the tube-like shape
formed by the swirling water he had noticed far above.

The quantity was small, and quite a tiny stream ran down the valley,
cutting itself a channelled course; but Will knew enough--knew the power
of water, and what such a tiny stream could do. In short, in those
brief moments he had grasped the fact that a dangerous flaw had been
formed in the dam, which, if unchecked, might mean destruction to them
all.

"Father! Father!" cried Will, rushing into his father's bedroom.

"I'm afraid it's worse, my boy," was the reply. "I'll lie still for a
few hours and see if my headache passes off."

"Father, wake up; you don't understand--the water's breaking through the
dam!"

There was a heavy bump on the floor, which made the wash-hand jug rattle
in the basin, as Mr Willows sprang out of bed, with his headache quite
cured by the nervous shock.

"Do you mean it? Are you sure?"

"Yes, father, it's twice as big now as it was when I saw it first."

"Ah!" ejaculated Mr Willows, and he stood for a moment with brow knit
and fists clenched, like a man gazing inwards.

"Run to the big bell, boy, and pull with all your might!"

"Yes, father. Is it very