his eyes from his children. Oliver put his arm round
Mildred's neck, and said in her ear,--

"I know what father is watching us for. He is afraid that Stephen is
here too, and no one to take care of us;--not even Ailwin."

"Perhaps Stephen is here,--in the wood," cried Mildred, in terror. "I
wish this water would make haste and run away, and let us get home."

"It cannot run faster than it does. Look how the waves dash along!
That is the worst of it:--it shows what a quantity there is, where this
came from. But I don't believe Stephen is here. I have a good mind to
ask Roger, and make him tell me."

"No, don't, Oliver! Stephen may be drowned. Do not put him in mind."

"Why, you see he does not care for anything. He is teasing some live
thing at this minute,--there, on the ground."

Oliver himself forgot everything but the live animals before his eyes,
when he saw how many there were under the trees. The grass was swarming
with mice, moles, and small snakes; while rabbits cocked up their little
white tails, in all directions, and partridges flew out of every bush,
and hares started from every hollow that the boy looked into.

"Ah soaked out of their holes;--don't know what to do with themselves;--
fine sport for those that have a mind to it," said Roger, as he lay on
the ground, pulling back a little mouse by its long tail, as often as it
tried to run away.

"You have no mind for sport to-day, I suppose, Roger. I should not
think anybody has."

"I don't know;--I'm rarely hungry," said the boy.

"So were we; but we forgot it again. Father is in the mill there..."

"You need not tell me that. Don't I see him?"

"But we think he is looking out for Stephen."

"He won't find him," said Roger, in a very low voice; so low that Oliver
was not sure what he said.

"He is not here on the hill, then, Roger?"

"On the hill,--no! I don't know where he is, nor the woman either. I
suppose they are drowned, as I was, nearly. If they did not swim as I
did, they must be drowned: and they could hardly do that, as I had the
dog."

The children looked at each other; and their looks told that they
thought Roger was shocked and sorry, though he tried not to appear so.

"There might have been a boat, perhaps, out on the carr. Don't you
think the country-people in the hills would get out boats when they saw
the flood spreading?"

"Boats, no! The hill-people have not above three boats among them all.
There a