current. Half a mile below, the river rounded a woody
point, and the drifting bateau was hidden from the sight of any one
who might have hurried to recover it.

At the moment, Mandy Ann was not frightened. Her blue eyes danced with
excitement as she tossed back her tousled curls. The river, flowing
swiftly but smoothly, flashed and rippled in the noon sun in a
friendly fashion, and it was most interesting to see how fast the
shores slipped by. There was no suggestion of danger; and probably, at
the back of her little brain, Mandy Ann felt that the beautiful river,
which she had always loved and never been allowed to play with, would
bring her back to her Granny as gently and unexpectedly as it had
carried her away. Meanwhile, she felt only the thrilling and utterly
novel excitement of the situation. As the bateau swung in an
occasional oily eddy she laughed gaily at the motion, and felt as
proud as if she were doing it herself. And the woodchuck, which had
been very nervous at first, feeling that something was wrong, was so
reassured by its mistress's evident satisfaction that it curled up
again on the bottom and hastened to resume its slumber.

In a little while the river curved again, sweeping back to its
original course. Suddenly, in the distance, the bright spire of the
Settlement church came into view, and then the familiar cottages.
Mandy Ann's laughing face grew grave, as she saw how very, very far
away they looked. They took on, also, from the distance, a certain
strangeness which smote her heart. This wonderful adventure of hers
ceased to have any charm for her. She wanted to go back at once. Then
her grandmother's little grey house on the slope came into view. Oh,
how terribly little and queer and far away it looked. And it was
getting farther and farther away every minute. A frightened cry of
"Granny! Granny! Take me home!" broke from her lips. She stood up, and
made her way hurriedly to the other end of the bateau, which, being
upstream, was nearer home. As her weight reached the bow, putting it
deeper into the grip of the current, the bateau slowly swung around
till it headed the other way. Mandy Ann turned and hurried again to
the point nearest home. Whereupon the bateau calmly repeated its
disconcerting manoeuvre. All at once the whole truth of the situation
burst upon Mandy Ann's comprehension. She was lost. She was being
carried away so far that she would never, never get back. She was
being swept out