AN ESCAPE. 123

bed of the channel, the stones and rocks were.
wet where they had been covered with water.

The higher ones were dry, showipg that where
the water came through under the mill, they were
not covered by it. Comfort told Lucy to step
along on the dry rocks, for the wet ones were apt
to be slippery.

At length, they reached the great blue stone.
Comfort said that it was a beautiful place to stop
and see the water. ‘The middle part of the rock
was dry ; but it was wet all around the sides, and
there was a little water still standing on each side,
which they had to step over, in getting upon the
rock. There were several chips, and sticks, and
small pieces of board on the edges of the rock.
They had floated on when the water was high,
and had been left there.

Lucy amused herself a few minutes throwing
these pieces of wood off into the middle of the
current, and seeing them float away down the
stream. Comfort took up a long, crooked pole,
and pushed off some which were lying in places
out of Lucy’s reach. After a little while, when
Lucy had thrown off all that were upon the front
side of the stone, she turned and went to the
back side, to find some more. Comfort happened .
to be standing, at that moment, on the front side