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The Island, as they climbed to its grassy chine, gradually revealed itself as a hill of two peaks, united by a long saddle-back. The most of this upland consisted of short turf, with here and there a patch of stones. In all the prospect was no single tree, scarcely a furze-bush even the furze grew only on the southern slopes, low down; and Tilda strained her eyes vainly for sight of the House.
Nettles almost breast-high carpeted the kitchen floor to the hearthstone. Nettles, in fact whole regiments of nettles had taken possession and defended it. But Tilda, with the book in her pocket, decided that here was the very spot for her a real house in which to practise the manners and deportment of a real lady, and she resolved to borrow or steal a hook after dinner and clear the nettles away.
But it was a woman who entered, the same that had opened the front gate; and she carried a tray with a glass of water on it and a plate of biscuits. "The Doctor told me as 'ow you might be 'ungry," she explained. "Thank you," said Tilda. "I I was lookin' at the view." For an instant she thought of appealing to this stranger's mercy. The woman's eyes were hard, but not unkind.
She turned back towards the wharf, and even as Arthur Miles turned to follow they could hear the woman calling loudly, summoning her son from his tea in the kitchen. "I reckon," commented Tilda, "I put the fear o' Bill into that woman. You may 'a noticed I didn' like her looks." She led the way back to the wharf in some elation. Twilight was gathering there and over the canal.
The leader a gaunt figure with spoon held rigidly before her, with white stockinged legs, and a truly magnificent stride had come and passed before Tilda could believe her eyes. After a long interval three others tottered by in a cluster. The fifth dropped her egg and collapsed beside it, to be hauled to her feet and revived by the stewards amid inextinguishable laughter from the crowd.
The old chemist looked up over his spectacles, held for an instant a gallipot suspended between finger and thumb, and set it down with nice judgment. He was extremely bald, and he pushed his spectacles high up on his scalp. Then he smiled benevolently. "What can I do for you, my dears?" The boy stepped forward bravely, while Tilda the game for once taken out of her hands could only admire.
"I'll come right up then," said she, adding, more to herself than any one else, "If I ain't mistaken, I've got a little paper of saffron somewhere, which I mean to steep for 'Tilda. Her skin looks desput jandissy!" When Mr. Livingstone again entered his wife's room, he found her in a collapsed state of anger and mortification.
"Now see here, when you meet your clever friend Bill, you put him two questions from me. First, why, when the boat's through, am I goin' to draw the water off an' leave the lock empty?" Before Tilda could answer, Arthur Miles exclaimed "I know! It's because we 're going uphill, and at the other locks, when we were going downhill, the water emptied itself." "Right, so far as you go," nodded Sam.
The lamps had immense reflectors above them, made of tin; but they shone like silver, and Tilda took them for silver. "That's cheerfuller!" shouted Farmer Tossell with a laugh of great contentment, and fell-to again. But as the light wavered and anon grew steady, Chrissy leaned over Tilda, touched Arthur Miles on the shoulder, and pointed to the wall opposite.
"No," answered Tilda, peering down on him. But as she slipped her arm from under his neck, he came out of dreamland with a quick sob and a shudder very pitiful to hear and to feel. "Hush!" she whispered, catching at his hand and holding it firmly. "It's me Tilda; an' you won't go back there never no more." "I I thought " said he, and so with an easier sob lay still.
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