d-note," said Ida. "What offers? Don't all speak at once!"

The girls smiled, and were turning away to follow Miss Todd, when
Geraldine stopped and held up a finger.

"What's that noise?" she asked.

"I don't hear anything but the stream," said Ida doubtfully.

"I do, though," said Diana, who with Wendy and Vi had joined the
seniors. "It sounds like somebody whimpering."

"I'm going down the bank to see."

The others followed Geraldine, and swung themselves down to the water
level. Sitting under the arch formed by the roots of the tree was a
small boy of about seven, rubbing two swimming eyes with two grimy
little fists and sobbing lustily.

"Hallo! What's the matter here?" said Geraldine briskly. "Where do you
come from, and why don't you go home? Are you lost?"

At the mention of "home" the little fellow's tears redoubled, and the
whimper rose to a roar. Ida sat down on the rock beside him, and tried
to comfort him. It was a difficult process to get any coherent or
sensible replies to her questions, but after considerable coaxing, and a
last piece of chocolate which Wendy fortunately fished from her pocket,
she managed to wring from him that his name was Harry, that he lived at
a farm on the other side of the torrent, that he had come down to the
river with several other boys, and that they had dared him to cross by
the fallen tree. Once over, he was too frightened to go back, and, after
waiting and calling to him for some time, the other boys had run away.
How was he going to get home?

The situation was difficult, for there was no bridge across the river
for many miles. Unless the child could go back the way he had come, it
was a problem what was to be done.

"You were a silly boy ever to try to cross," said Geraldine
sententiously.

"They said I durstn't!" sobbed the small sinner.

"Oh, don't scold him!" pleaded Diana. "I do know so exactly how he felt.
I've often been dared to do things myself, and done them, though I
shivered."

"Well, you'd surely never do such a silly thing as cross that tree?"

[Illustration: TWO PAIRS OF BARE FEET WENT SPLASHING JOYOUSLY INTO THE
BROOK]

"Wouldn't I? I believe I'm going to do it now."

"Diana!"

"He's got to get home somehow. Look here, Harry!"--Diana knelt on the
pebbles, and put her arm round the little blue-jerseyed figure--"suppose
I were to go too, would you dare to cross again? We'd both crawl on our
hands and knees."

The sobs stopped, while Har