eave her,
so the two young ladies turned away with arms round each other's
waists, Lucy demonstratively rejoicing to be quit of the troublesome
boys.

Before they had gone far an eldritch shout of laughter was responded
to by a burst of furious dismay and imprecation. The boat with the
two boys was drifting out to sea, and Peregrine capering wildly on
the shore, but in another instant he had vanished into the castle.

Anne had presence of mind enough to rush to the nearest fisherman's
cottage, and send him out to bring them back, and it was at this
juncture that the two mothers arrived on the scene. There was
little real danger. A rope was thrown and caught, and after about
half an hour of watching they were safely landed, but the tide had
ebbed so far that they had to take off their shoes and stockings and
wade through the mud. They were open-mouthed against the imp who
had enticed them to rock in the boat, then in one second had cut the
painter, bounded out, and sent them adrift with his mocking 'Ho! ho!
ho!' Sedley Archfield clenched his fists, and gazed round wildly in
search of the goblin to chastise him soundly, and Charles was ready
to rush all over the castle in search of him.

"Two to one!" cried Anne, "and he so small; you would never be so
cowardly."

"As if he were like an honest fellow," said Charley. "A goblin like
that has his odds against a dozen of us."

"I'd teach him, if I could but catch him," cried Sedley.

"I told you," said Anne, "that he would be good if you would let him
alone and not plague him."

"Now, Anne," said Charles, as he sat putting on his stockings, "how
could I stand being cast off for that hobgoblin, that looks as if he
had been cut out of a root of yew with a blunt knife, and all
crooked! I that always was your sweetheart, to see you consorting
with a mis-shapen squinting Whig of a Nonconformist like that."

"Nonconformist! I'll Nonconform him indeed," added Sedley. "I wish
I had the wringing of his neck."

"Now is not that hard!" said Anne; "a poor lad who has been very
sick, and that every one baits and spurns."

"Serve him right," said Sedley; "he shall have more of the same
sauce!"

"I think he has cast his spell on Anne," added Charles, "or how can
she stand up for him?"

"My mamma bade me be kind to him."

"Kind! I would as lief be kind to a toad!" put in Lucy.

"To see you kind to him makes me sick," exclaimed Charles. "You see
what comes of it