42 CAROLINE.
Caroline’s composure. Black cloud. The chain-lightning.

with them continually, to amuse their minds and to allay
their fears. She soon told them that the violence of the
storm was passed, and this proved really to be the case;
for the cloud from which the thunder and lightning, and
the wind and rain, proceeded, was now passing away to-
ward the eastward, over the water of the pond. In a
short time, the rain fell in such quantities from the clouds
over the pond that the opposite shores were wholly hid-
den. At this period, too, the great cloud itself, in all its
blackness and terror, was fulty exhibited. to their view, as
it lay expanding itself over the whole eastern sky. The
children could see also chains of forked lightning darting
to and fro upon the face of the cloud, from time to time,
each one followed at brief intervals with a rolling peal of
thunder.

“The shower is passing away,” said Caroline.

“ No,” said Malleville, ‘I think the lightning is grow-
ing brighter and brighter.”

“That is only because we can see the cloud plainer
now,” said Caroline. “It does not rain so fast, and the
thunder does not sound so loud. Besides, it begins to
look brighter over our heads.”

Phonny and Malleville reached their heads out from
under the shelter of the rocks as far as they dared, to see
the sky; but the drops came down so fast from the leaves
of the trees above them, that they could notsee. So they
came back again into their retreat.

* But I don’t see how we are to get home,” said Phonny,
despondingly.

“ Nor I,” said Caroline.

“ Perhaps somebody will come after us,” said Phonny.

“ Nobody knows where we are,” said Caroline.