28 BEYOND THE BLUE MOUNTAINS.

Clover bent over his little sister and made every effort to raise
her from the gound.

‘““Where is the pain?” he asked of her.

“Tn my head,” she answered. “I am so giddy that I cannot
possibly stand. Oh, what shall I do; what shall I do?”

Clover’s head also ached, but slightly.

“T am sure it is that dreadful fruit,” he said. “I am certain
there must have been poison in it. I will not eat another morsel.”

“Oh, but I long for more,’ sobbed poor Cowslip, as she rolled
about on the ground and moaned in pain.

“You shall not taste another morsel of that fruit,” said Clover.

With these words he took up the basket which contained the
peaches and apples—it was heavy as lead—with a great effort he
hurled it and its contents over the hedge. The basket with the
strawberries immediately followed them. When Clover had done this,
it seemed to him that the air felt lighter; he was not so terribly
thirsty and sleepy, and his head was less giddy.

Poor little Cowslip, however, was in a very bad way, and her
groans went right through Clover’s kind and brave heart.

“What shall I do?” he muttered, under his breath. “ If that fruit
was really poisoned, sweet little Cowslip may die. Oh, how mad I
was to allow her to go into that cottage! Oh, what a wicked, wicked
girl Bluebell is!) What shall I do? What ought a boy like me to
do in such a case as this? I cannot leave little Cowslip alone, and
yet if I do not do something for her, she may be dead before the
morning.”

These thoughts had scarcely passed through the little fellow’s mind
before he saw coming up the path to meet him a tall, slender figure.
He could not tell in the twilight whether the person, who walked
swiftly, and seemed to keep just the very centre of the path, was a
man or a woman. He was so glad, however, to know that anyone
was near, that he called out at once in a voice full of confidence,
“Who are you? ”

“ Who are you?” was the instant reply.

The voice which came back to Clover was sweet, and belonged, he