Ferry, and then she would be very near Banksome Weir, and there is no
saying what has become of her."

The two gentlemen looked very grave, but did not offer to turn and go
down stream to look for Juliet.

As their boat came out of the lock another was waiting to come in. It
contained Mr. Webster, the vicar of Littlebourne, and his wife.

"Beg your pardon, sir," said Rowles as soon as he had closed the gate
above them, "would you mind if Philip was to jump into your bows and
go down a bit with you? Because there's a girl, my niece in fact, who
must have gone off in my little _Fairy_, and she don't know bow oar
from stroke, and if she gets alongside Banksome Weir she'll go over
and be drowned."

"Oh, dear me!" said Mr. Webster. "How did the child come to be all
alone in a boat?"

"Through being brought up without a grain of sense. What can you
expect when the father sleeps all day so that he never can give a word
of advice to his children? Now, in with you, Phil; and I shall be glad
to see you come back--" he broke off with a cough.

"I will pull as hard as I can," said Mr. Webster. "We must hope that
by God's mercy the child will be saved."

Phil dropped from the bank into the boat, and the moment they were out
of the lock the boat went flying down the river as fast as the current
and the vicar's strong arms could send her.

"She will be very wet when she comes in," said Mrs. Rowles; "it is
beginning to rain."

"She'll be pretty wet if she's been in the river," said Mr. Rowles.

His wife heaped up the kitchen fire and put coffee on to boil, and
laid some clean garments to get warm, and waited with anxious heart
for some news of the missing child.

Emily went up to the attic and looked at the belongings of Juliet,
which lay on the table and hung on pegs. Her cousin's real character
was better known to Emily than to anyone else at Littlebourne Lock.
Juliet was proud and conceited, and thought she could do whatever
other people did; then, when her carelessness brought her into
accidents and difficulties, she would grow very cross and angry with
herself, and when reproved for her faults would say, "I don't care;
I'm that stupid and awkward that I can't do anything right." Emily had
seen her stamping on the ground at the end of the garden after some
unfortunate occurrence, and had heard her sobbing and choking in her
bed after some stern words from Mr. Rowles. Emily knew that it was not
humility but wounded pr