Iv.] THE WITCHES’ ISLAND. 173

 

IV.

THE WITCHES’ ISLAND,

IT was raining in torrents : ‘raining cats and dogs,’ as
some people say, though I never knew the exact origin
of the saying, and never witnessed the actual and
literal occurrence of such an event. Anyhow, however,
the great drops fell fast from the dark heavy clouds,
and what made it worse was that the wind was blow-
ing so fiercely at the same time, that to hold up an
umbrella was simply impossible. A most troublesome
wind it was, too, not coming like a respectable wind
from any particular quarter, but taking you on all
sides as if it had the special privilege of coming from
every quarter at once, or of selecting the point from
which it could make itself the most disagreeable at
any one particular moment.

So Molly Goodchild found it rather difficult to
keep dry as she struggled against wind and rain,
wrapped her old red cloak round her as closely as
she could, clutched more tightly the handle of the
covered basket which she was carrying, and made the
best of her way along the road by the sea-shore. On
a bright, calm summer evening it was pleasant enough
to stroll along this road and enjoy the soft breezes from
the ocean. But there were no soft breezes now, and as
to walking nearer the sea than you could help, it wasn’t