The Children of the Castle

by Mrs. Molesworth

currentjust as you caught the oar, Mavis."

  She shook her head doubtfully.

  "I don't know. I don't think it was that," she said. "But any way nowit is all right again, and we are going back, you and Bertrand, Ruby,will not think of playing any trick, or setting the villagers on to oldAdam."

  "Why not, pray?" said Bertrand. "And--"

  "I don't see what has made any difference," said Ruby pertly. "Supposethe horrid things had bewitched the boat, is that any reason for notshowing them up? You think it's all your wonderful cleverness that gotthe boat round, do you, Mavis?"

  "No, I don't. I think a good many things I'm not going to tell you,"said the little girl. "But one thing I will tell you, _I_ will notleave the boat or come on shore unless you promise me to give up yournaughty cruel plan."

  She spoke so firmly that Ruby was startled. And indeed her own wordsseemed to surprise Mavis herself. It was as if some one were whisperingto her what to say. But on Bertrand they made no impression.

  "You won't, won't you?" he said. "Ah, well, we'll see to that."

  They were close to the shore by this time. The marvellous boat had "gotover the ground," I was going to say--I mean the _water_--even morequickly than when going out to sea. And in another minute, thanks tosomething--no doubt Bertrand thought it was thanks to his wonderfulskill--they glided quietly into the little landing-place where Winfriedhad brought them two days ago.

  Up jumped Ruby.

  "That's capital," she said. "We can easily make out way to the oldwizard's cottage from here. And before we peep in on him himself,Bertrand, we may as well look round his garden, as he calls it. It isthe queerest place you ever saw, full of caves and grottoes." BothBertrand and she had jumped on shore.

  "Come on, Mavis," cried they. "What are you so slow about?"

  For Mavis sat perfectly still in her place.

  "I am not coming on shore," she said quietly, "not unless you promise togive up whatever mischief it is that you are planning."

  "Nonsense," said Bertrand. "You just _shall_ come; tell her she must,Ruby, you're the eldest."

  "Come, Mavis," said Ruby. "You'd better come, for everybody's sake, Ican tell you," she added meaningly. "If you're there you can look afteryour precious old wizard. I won't promise anything."

  "No," Mavis repeated. "I will not come. We have no right to go forcingourselves into his cottage. It is as much his as the castle is ours,and you know you have locked up Winfried on purpose so that he can't getout. No, I will not go with you."

  "Then stay," shouted Bertrand, "and take the consequences."

  And he dragged Ruby back from the boat.

  CHAPTER NINE.

  BEGINNINGS?

  "Very wrong, very wrong, Very wrong and bad."

  _Child World_.

  "Let's run on fast a little way," said Bertrand, "to make her think wewon't wait for her. That will frighten her, and she will run after us,you'll see. Don't look round, Ruby."

  In his heart he really did not believe that Mavis would change her mindor run after them. And he did not care. Indeed, he much preferredhaving Ruby alone, as he knew he could far more easily persuade her byherself to join in his mischievous schemes. But he felt that she washalf-hearted about leaving her sister, and so he did not hesitate totrick her too.

  They hurried on for some distance. Then Ruby, who was growing bothtired and cross, pulled her hand away from Bertrand.

  "Stop," she said. "I'm quite out of breath. And I want to see if Mavisis coming."

  Bertrand had to give in. They were on higher ground than the shore, andcould see it clearly. There lay the little boat as they had left it,and Mavis sitting in it calmly. To all appearance at least.

  "She's not coming--not a bit of her," exclaimed Ruby angrily. "I don'tbelieve you thought she would, Bertrand."

  "She _will_ come, you'll see," said the boy, "and even if she doesn't,what does it matter? We'll run on and spy out the old wizard and havesome fun. Mavis will stay there safe enough till we get back."

  "I thought you meant to go home by the village and tell the people aboutold Adam, if we _do_ see anything queer," said Ruby.

  "So I did, but if you're in such a fidget about Mavis perhaps we'dbetter go home as we came, and not say anything in the village to-day.I'd like to see what Master Winfried has been up to when we get back.Perhaps he'll have got some old witch to lend him a broomstick, and weshall find him flown;" and Bertrand laughed scornfully.

  Ruby laughed too.

  "I don't think that's likely," she said. "But there's no telling. I dowish he and his grandfather were out of the country altogether. There'ssomething about Winfried that makes me feel furious. He _is_ such aprig; and he's even got cousin Hortensia to think him a piece ofperfection."

  "He may take his perfections elsewhere, and he shall, too," saidBertrand. And the fierceness of his tone almost startled even Ruby.

  They were not far from the old fisherman's cottage by this time. Theystopped again to take breath. Mavis and the boat were not visible fromwhere they stood, for the path went in and out among the rocks, and justhere some large projecting boulders hid the shore from sight.

  Suddenly, as if it came from some cave beneath their feet, both childrengrew conscious of a faint sound as of distant music. And every momentit became clearer and louder even though muffled. Bertrand and Rubylooked at each other.

  "Mermaids!" both exclaimed.

  "They always sing," said Bertrand.

  "Yes," added Ruby, with her old confusion of ideas about syrens; "andthey make people go after them by their singing, and then they catchthem and kill them, and I'm not sure but what they _eat_ them. I knowI've read something about bare dry bones being found. Shall we put ourfingers in our ears, Bertrand?" She looked quite pale with fear.

  "Nonsense," said the boy. "That's only sailors at sea. They lure themin among the rocks. We're quite safe on dry land. Besides, I don'tthink it's _mermaids_ that do that. They're miserable crying creatures;but I don't think they kill people."

  The subterraneous music came nearer and nearer. Somehow the childrencould not _help_ listening.

  "Didn't you say you and Mavis heard singing the day you were herebefore--at the wizard's cottage, I mean?" said Bertrand.

  "N-no, not exactly singing. It was laughing, and a voice calling outgood-bye in a singing way," answered Ruby.

  As if in response to her words, the ringing suddenly stopped, and frombelow their feet--precisely below it seemed--came the sound of ringing,silvery laughter, clear and unmistakable.

  "Oh," cried Ruby, "come away, Bertrand. I'm sure it's the mermaids, andthey _will_ catch us and kill us, you'll see."

  Her boasted courage had not come to much. And yet there was nothingvery alarming in the pretty sounds they had heard.

  "And what if it is the mermaids?" said Bertrand coolly. "We came out tocatch them, didn't we? It's just what we wanted. Come along, Ruby.How do we get to the cottage? There seems to be a sort of wall infront."

  "We go round by the back," said Ruby. "It's there there are the queergrottoes and little caves. But you won't go far into them, will you,Bertrand? For I am not at all sure but that the mermaids come up fromthe sea through these caves; you see they _do_ come some undergroundway."

  Bertrand gave a sort of grunt. What Ruby said only made him the moredetermined to explore as far as he possibly could.

  They entered the strange little garden I have already described withoutfurther adventure. There seemed no one about, no sound of any kindbroke the almost unnatural stillness.

  "How _very_ quiet it is," said Ruby with a little shiver. "And there'sno smoke coming out of the chimney--there was the last time, for therewas a good fire in the kitchen where old Adam was."

  And as she said this there came over her the remembrance of the kind oldman's gentle hospitality and interest in them. Why had she taken such ahatred to Winfried and his grandfather, especially since Bertrand'sarrival?
She could not have given any real reason.

  "I hope he isn't very ill--or--_dead_," she said, dropping her voice."And Winfried locked up and not able to get to him. It would be ourfault, Bertrand."

  "Nonsense," said Bertrand roughly, with his usual scornful contempt ofany softer feelings. "He's fallen asleep over his pipe and glass ofgrog. I daresay he drinks lots of grog--those fellows