e state that his
sister's hands were in, for Roger's sake; but Mildred pulled away her
hands, and hid them behind her as she retreated, saying,--

"No, no. Never mind that now."

Oliver saw how drenched the poor boy looked, and forgave whatever he
might say. He asked Mildred to go back to the place where they had been
standing, opposite the house; and he would come to her there presently.
He then begged Roger to slip off his coat and trousers, that they might
wring the wet out of them. He thought they would soon dry in the sun.
But Roger pushed him away with his shoulder, and said he knew what he
wanted;--he wanted to see what he had got about him. He would knock
anybody down who touched his pockets. It was plain that Roger did not
choose to be helped in any way; so Oliver soon ran off, and joined
Mildred, as he had promised.

"I do not like to leave him, all wet, and so tired that I could knock
him over with my little finger," exclaimed Oliver. "But he won't trust
me about any thing."

"There is father again! Tell him," cried Mildred.

Both children shouted that Roger was here, and pointed behind them; but
it was plain that their father could not make out a word they said,
though they had never called out so loud in their lives. Roger heard
them, however, as they judged by seeing him skulking among the trees
behind, watching what use they were making of his name.

The children thought their father was growing very anxious. He still
waved his hat to them, now and then, when he looked their way; but they
saw him gazing abroad, as if surprised that the rush of waters did not
abate. They observed him glance often round the sky, as if for signs of
wind; and they longed to know whether he thought a wind would do good or
harm. They saw him bring out, for the third time, a rope which he had
seemed to think too short to be of any use; and this appeared to be the
case, now as at first. Then he stooped down, as if to make a mark on
the side of the white door-post (for the water had by this time quite
hidden the steps); and Oliver thought this was to make out, for certain,
whether the flood was regularly rising or not. They could not imagine
why he examined so closely as they saw him do the door lintel, and the
window-frame. It did not occur to them, as it did to him, that the mill
might break down under the force of the current.

At last it was clear that he saw Roger; and from that moment, he
scarcely took