might say, on an even keel. True, it committed a violent assault on a
tree at starting, which sent it spinning round, and went crashing
through a mass of drowned bushes, which rendered it again steady; but
these mishaps only served to prove the seaworthiness of her ark, and in
a few minutes the brave little woman revived. Splashing off the bed and
spluttering across the room, she tried to open the door with a view to
see what had happened and whither they were bound, for the two windows
of the mansion were useless in this respect, being fitted with parchment
instead of glass. But the door was fast, and refused to open.

"We'll a' be lost!" exclaimed Daddy, in alarm, for he had been awakened
by the shock against the tree, and was now slightly alive to their
danger.

"Ver is mine boy?" asked the old frau, in a whimpering voice.

"Nae fear o' 'ee," said Liz, in a soothing tone. "Him that saved Noah
can save us."

"Open the door an' see where we are, lassie," said the old man.

"It'll no' open, Daddy."

"Try the wundy, then."

"I'm sweer'd to break the wundy," said Liz. "Losh, man, I'll try the
lum!"

The chimney, to which old Liz referred, was capacious enough to admit a
larger frame than hers. Moreover, it was a short one, and the fire had
long ago been drowned out. With the enthusiasm of an explorer, the
little woman stooped and entered the fireplace. She felt about inside
for a few moments, and in doing so brought down an enormous quantity of
soot. Immediately there was a tremendous coughing in the chimney.

"Lassie! lassie! come oot! Ve'll be chokit," cried Daddy, in alarm.

"Hoots, man, hand yer gab," was the polite reply.

Liz was not to be easily turned from her purpose. Raising one leg up
she found a crevice for her right foot, and the aged couple beheld the
old creature, for the first time, in the attitude of a _danseuse_,
standing on one toe. Next moment the remaining leg went up, and she
disappeared from view. If there had been any one outside, the old woman
would have been seen, two minutes later, to emerge from the chimney-top
with the conventional aspect of a demon--as black as a Zulu chief,
choking like a chimpanzee with influenza, and her hair blowing freely in
the wind. Only those who have intelligently studied the appearance of
chimney-sweeps can form a proper idea of her appearance, especially when
she recovered breath and smiled, as she thought of her peculiar
position.

Bu