nce, they can hardly fancy that even any little mouse could
help being either drowned or starved. This will be about the last spot
in the Levels that any boat will come to.--You see, Mildred, our
Red-hill, though it is everything to us, is but a speck compared with
the grounds that have stood above water since the waters began to sink.
We had better not think of anything but living on as we can, unless it
should please God that we should die."

Roger did not want to hear anything more of this kind; so he went to
where George was lying, and began to whistle softly to him. The child
was so altered that his own mother would hardly have known him: but he
smiled when he heard the whistle; and the smile was his own. He put up
his hand and patted Roger's face, and even pulled his hair with a good
stout pull. Roger had been used to nurse his dog, though not little
children. He now took George into his arms, and laid him comfortably
across his knees, while he whistled till the little fellow looked full
in his face, and puckered up his poor white lips, as if he would whistle
too. This made Roger laugh aloud; and then George laughed. Ailwin
heard them, and peeped into the corner of the tent where they were. She
flew to Oliver, to tell him that Roger was at his tricks worse than
ever,--he was bewitching the baby. She was angry at Oliver for telling
his sister, when he had looked in too, that they might have been very
glad any of them, to bewitch poor baby in this manner, when he was
crying so sadly all yesterday. Mildred, for her part, ran to thank
Roger, and say how glad she should be to be able to whistle as he could.

"How should you?" said Roger,--"you who never had a dog, or caught any
sort of a bird in your life, I dare say."

"No, I never could. One day, long ago, when mother was very busy, and I
was tired of playing, she gave me some salt into my hand, and told me I
might put it upon the birds' tails in the garden, and so catch them: but
I did not get one. At last, half the salt was spilt, and the other half
was melted in my hand; and then dinner was ready. I suppose that was a
joke of mother's."

"She wanted you out of the way; and what a fool you must have been not
to find that out! Why, the birds could not have been sillier, if they
had let you put the salt upon their tails."

"It was a long while ago," pleaded Mildred. "Here, take him," said
Roger, popping George into her arms. "Show him how to catch