my plate at dinner, and
that I never eat, it would have been enough to keep me alive all night."

"I should like sandwiches better," observed John.

"Very likely!" rejoined Madge impatiently. "Honey and cream are very
nice too, and just what people always carry with them when they are out
all night in a forest!"

"They would be very good, but much stickier than sandwiches," began
John, then stopped as both his sisters burst out laughing. "I don't
see anything funny," he said sulkily. "They are very sticky, you know
they are!"

"We were laughing at your idea of having all sorts of nice things to
eat when you were escaping from the enemy," explained Betty. "It's a
time for hardships--"

"I don't care to live on hardships," interrupted John.

"Well, it doesn't matter, because I think we had better go home to tea
after all," observed Madge. "I don't really mind Barton complaining
about us much; and it would have been frightful fun to sit in the
Eagle's Nest and see everybody on the other side of the water scolding
and threatening us without being able to get at us. But I dare say
Mama would have been rather anxious about our staying out all night in
the damp."

Though troublesome and thoughtless the children were really
affectionate, and this consideration weighed with them. They gave up
all idea of allowing the advancing torrent to cut them off from any
communication with the world. (When we talk of the torrent, it must be
understood that it might not have appeared quite worthy of the name to
grown-up people; but that is how the children managed to see it.)

Having decided to resist the temptation of camping-out for a night, the
next question was how to avoid getting into serious trouble with
Barton, who would be dreadfully cross if he came in the morning and
found the field turned into a swamp. It was all very well for Madge to
talk defiantly about not minding if Barton scolded or not; but the fact
was that everybody, even Captain West, stood in respectful awe of the
old man's stern disapproval.

"I do wish you children would not be so disobedient to me before
Barton. I can see he thinks you are spoilt, and it makes me feel so
dreadfully ashamed of myself!" Captain West would laughingly say; and
though, of course, this was only a joke, there can be little doubt that
Barton would have brought up a family very strictly if it had been left
to him.

"We can't go home and leave it like this," said Madge