chair, and pick her way on chairs and hassocks over the water to the
stairs.

Oh! what kissings and congratulations there were, when she found
herself safe and sound, once more, with all the children!

* * * * *

Next morning the difficulty of providing food presented itself, as they
knew it would. They had barely enough for one good meal. And as they
scanned the watery scene around the house, there seemed no sign, and
but little likelihood of any person coming to them from the village.

"I must go in the tub to the nearest land," said Alfy, "and then run to
the village. I shall not be long."

"What! go in that rockety thing again, Alfy?"

"Why, yes, Mansy. You see it will be lighter with only one in it. And
I will take the line and rope. Oh! I shall manage."

And so he pushed off. The flood was still flowing, and carried him
quickly away from the house. He guided the tub to the laburnum tree,
where a piece of the rope was still hanging. "I will get that rope,"
said he, and twisting a piece of the line in the tub round the tree, he
climbed up. He found his task more difficult than he had supposed, but
when he had succeeded and was about to descend, behold! to his
amazement and chagrin the line had become loose, and the action of the
water was just floating the tub away out of his reach.

He made a desperate endeavour to save it by trying to throw into it the
tin which was still attached to the rope in the tree. But it missed;
and on floated the tub, slowly, but provokingly, bobbing about in the
morning sunshine, leaving him alone in the tree!

[Illustration: "ON FLOATED THE TUB, LEAVING HIM ALONE IN THE TREE!"]

CHAPTER IV.

"WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD?"

What was to be done now?

"This is a greater bother than any of the others," said Alfy. "I
expect I shall have to wade or swim now, if I can. Then I must run to
the village in my wet things. But how shall I get back to the house?
Bother the tub, I say! However did it get loose?"

The reason was that he had not fastened it very firmly; but then he did
not expect he would be so long in the tree, nor did he think the
current of the water would have such influence.

But the tub had gone, and he must do the best he could without it.
From his perch in the tree he could obtain a clear view of the flood.
The muddy water glistened in the bright sunshine, as though trying to
look pleasant.

The house was, as we have