The Dwarf Woman 145

waving to him to go back. After this he
looked a little graver, though still resolute.
“I do wish you would stop crying,” he said
to Joan. “I want to think. I believe that
mother means us to go round.”

“Oh, but the water will come and drown
us!”

“Silly! Water can’t run up hill.”

“I don’t know,” said Joan miserably. “I
think it does sometimes, and then we shall
be drowned, and get wet, and not have any
foam |

“ Who-o-0-0f, who-o-0-0-of —of course!”
cried Ju-Ju, in the same tone, so that Barthel
was quite provoked.

“Well, any way, crying won’t do any
good,” he said sharply. ‘Come along, Joan,
there’s another bridge not a very long way
off, and all we've got to do is to keep on at
the top of this bank.”

Directly their mother saw them start she
nodded and smiled, so that the boy was sure
he was doing right; and when they joined

hands and ran, Joan cheered up, and almost
K