ors might see it from their ships and think of him
when they saw it, and then he died. And when he was dead they carried
him up to the rock, and there they burned his body, and then they built
up a great high mound of earth, and they put Beowulf's bones inside, and
all the treasure from the dragon's cave. They were ten days building up
the mound. Then when it was all done they rode around it weeping and
chanting sorrowful songs, and at last they left him there, saying as
they went away that never should they see so good a king or so true a
master any more. And for hundreds of years afterwards, when the sailors
out at sea saw the high mound rising on its point of rock, they said one
to another, 'There is Beowulf's Mount,' and they began to tell each
other of Beowulf's brave deeds--how he lived and how he died, and how he
fought with Grendel and the wild sea dragons. There, now, I have told
you all I know about Beowulf," said Mr. Norton, getting up and turning
the children off his knee, "and if it isn't somebody else's turn now it
ought to be."

"Aunt Emma! Aunt Emma!" shouted Olly, who was so greedy for stories that
he could almost listen all day long without being tired.

But Aunt Emma only smiled through her spectacles and pointed to the
window. The children ran to look out, and they could hardly believe
their eyes when they saw that it had actually stopped raining, and that
over the tree-tops was a narrow strip of blue sky, the first they had
seen for three whole days.

"Oh you nice blue sky!" exclaimed Milly, dancing up and down before the
window with a beaming face. "Mind you stay there and get bigger. We'll
get on our hats presently and come out to look at you. Oh! there's John
Backhouse coming down the hill with the dogs. Mother, may we go up
ourselves and ask Becky and Tiza to come to tea?"

"But Aunt Emma must tell us her story first," persisted Olly, who hated
being cheated out of a story by anything or anybody. "She promised."

"You silly boy!" said Aunt Emma, "as if I was going to keep you indoors
listening to stories just now, when the sun's shining for the first time
for three whole days. I promised you my story on a wet day, and you
shall have it--never fear. There'll be plenty more wet days before you
go away from Ravensnest, I'm afraid. There goes my knitting, and
mother's putting away her work, and father's stretching himself--which
means we're all going for a walk."

"To fetch Becky and Tiza, mot