ches seemed to float, and the sound of shouting rose in the air as
foam rises in the wind.

'The Fear! The Fear!' people were shouting. 'To the ark! to the ark!'
And the black night that pressed round the castle was loud with the wild
roar of waves and the shriek of a tumultuous wind.

Lucy ran to the door of her room. But suddenly she stopped.

'My clothes,' she said. And dressed herself hastily. For she perceived
that her own petticoats and shoes were likely to have better wearing
qualities than seaweed could possess, and if they were all going to take
refuge in the ark, she felt she would rather have her own clothes on.

'Mr. Noah is sure to come for me,' she most sensibly told herself. 'And
I'll get as many clothes on as I can.' Her own dress, of course, had
been left at Polistopolis, but the ballet dress would be better than the
seaweed tunic. When she was dressed she ran into Philip's room and
rolled his clothes into a little bundle and carried it under her arm as
she ran down the stairs. Half-way down she met Mr. Noah coming up.

'Ah! you're ready,' he said; 'it is well. Do not be alarmed, my Lucy.
The tide is rising but slowly. There will be time for every one to
escape. All is in train, and the embarkation of the animals is even now
in progress. There has been a little delay in sorting the beasts into
pairs. But we are getting on. The Lord High Islander is showing
remarkable qualities. All the big animals are on board; the pigs were
being coaxed on as I came up. And the ant-eaters are having a late
supper. Do not be alarmed.'

'I can't help being alarmed,' said Lucy, slipping her free hand into Mr.
Noah's, 'but I won't cry or be silly. Oh, I do wish Philip was here.'

'Most unreasonable of girl children,' said Mr. Noah; 'we are in danger
and you wish him to be here to share it?'

'Oh, we _are_ in danger, are we?' said Lucy quickly. 'I thought you said
I wasn't to be alarmed.'

'No more you are,' said Mr. Noah shortly; 'of course you're in danger.
But there's me. And there's the ark. What more do you want?'

'Nothing,' Lucy answered in a very small voice, and the two made their
way to a raised platform overlooking the long inclined road which led up
to the tower on which the ark had been built. A long procession toiled
slowly up it of animals in pairs, urged and goaded by the M.A.'s under
the orders of the Lord High Islander.

The wild wind blew the flames of the torches out like golden streamers,
an