It's only Elsie
and me."
"Ah!" said the woman's voice, as if in surprise.
"Yes, it's only Dick and me," said Elsie in her most reassuring voice,
but, like Dick, forgetting her grammar.
And then a curious, cackling laugh sounded out of the mist; the lantern
came bounding forward, and before she could realise what had happened,
Elsie found her skirt seized and a great rough head scrubbing against
it. She gave a cry of terror, but directly afterwards the lantern
showed her the face of the idiot, which grinned at her with delight for
a moment and then bent again to kiss her skirt. Then another figure
came out of the darkness, seized the lantern and held it first to her
face and then to Dick's. They saw that it was the idiot's mother, and
Dick again repeated, though with much secret fear, that they had lost
their way.
"Is there no one with 'ee?" asked the woman astonished.
"No," said Dick sadly. "We're lost."
"Why, my dear tender hearts," said the woman in a voice of great pity,
"to think of that. But don't 'ee cry, my dear," for she could hear
Elsie sobbing gently, "don't 'ee cry, for 'tis all well now. See now,
my house is close by, and you'm safe, both of 'ee. Come long with me,
and don't be afeared; I'll take care of 'ee and take 'ee home safe
enough. To think of that now--" and so she went on, leading the way
for them with the lantern for another quarter of a mile up the water,
till she stopped, and saying, "Now, my dears, we'm home," lifted Elsie
from her saddle and carried her under a low doorway, and then coming
back, called Dick in also, leaving the ponies in charge of the idiot.
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