stairs. Ah! I thought you would not believe it; but
we shall find more, I dare say, as the water sinks; and then you will
believe what you see."

"On the stairs! How did it get there?"

"The same way that the water got there, I suppose, and the poor little
drowned pig that lay close by the same place. There was a whole heap of
fish washed up at the turn of the stairs; enough for us all to-day.
Ailwin said we must eat them first, because the pig will keep. Such a
nice little clean sucking-pig!"

"That puts me in mind of the poor sow," said Oliver. "I forgot her when
we were busy about the cow. I am afraid she is drowned or starved
before this; but we must see about it."

"Not now," said Mildred. "Do you go to sleep again now. There is not
such a hurry as there was, the waters are going down so fast."

"Are they, indeed?--Oh, I do not want to sleep any more. I am quite
wide awake now. Are you sure the flood is going down?"

"Only look! Look at that steep red bank on the Red-hill, where it was
all a green slope yesterday, and covered with water this morning. Look
at the little speck of a hillock, where neighbour Gool's house was. We
could not see that this morning, I am sure. And if you will come down,
you will find that there is scarcely any water in the upper rooms now.
Geordie might play at paddling there, as he is so fond of doing in his
tub. Ailwin thinks we might sleep there to-night, if we could only get
everything dried."

"We might get many things dried before night, in such a sun as this.
How very hot it is!"

Oliver ran down, and convinced himself that the flood was abating fast.
It must have swelled up higher within the house than outside; for it had
sunk three feet in the upper rooms, and two on the outer walls of the
house. Now that the worst of the danger seemed to be past, the children
worked with fresh spirit, making all possible use of the sunshine for
drying their bedding and clothes, in hopes of sleeping in a chamber this
night, instead of on the house-top, which they had feared would be
necessary. Nothing could have made them believe, if they had been told
at sunrise, how cheerfully they would sit down, in the afternoon, to
rest and talk, and hope that they might, after all, meet their father
and mother again soon, alive and well.

CHAPTER SIX.

ROGER HIS OWN MASTER.

There lay Roger under the tree, thinking that there was nothing to
prevent his having all his own w