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Updated: May 11, 2025
If a listener had been lurking in that old hiding-place, what would he or she have heard? Then he shook the thought from him, and rowed vigorously for the creek. He tied the boat to a willow-stump, and helped Helena to land. "I warn you " he said, laughing. "You'll tear your dress, and wet your shoes."
Yes, I know it looks like an old willow-stump, but just come over here...." They stepped out of the carriage and on to the stone, one after the other, and admired the garden in the willow-tree's top. "If the hoop wasn't there, I should burst," said the willow-tree. "What an honour and what luck for a wretched cripple like me! Only think: the squire really climbed up and ate strawberries off me!
Hickathrift took his coat from behind the door, led the way to the place where his punt was floating, fastened to an old willow-stump; and as soon as his visitors were aboard he began to unfasten the rope. "Like to tak' a goon, sir, or a fishing-pole?" "No: I think we'll be content with what we can see to-night."
It was afternoon when he came to the willow-stump throne and sat down upon it. The sky was thronged with stately clouds phantom mountains, with castles on their tops castles wherein Raymond's fancy had often dwelt. The air was soft and warm, sweet with fragrance of lilac and apple-blossoms, and bright with bird-songs.
The time seemed to be drawn out to a terrible extent before there was a perceptible lightening on their left; and as soon as he saw that, though the mist was as thick as ever, Hickathrift rose and began to work with the pole, for he knew his bearings now by the position of the rising moon, and working away, in half an hour the little party emerged from the mist as suddenly as they had dived in, but they were far wide of their destination, and quite another hour elapsed before they reached the old willow-stump, where the wheelwright made fast his boat, and assuring his companions that there was nothing much wrong he went to his cottage, while Mr Marston gladly accompanied Dick to the Toft, feeling after the shock they had had that even if it had not been so late, a walk down to the sea-beach that night would neither be pleasant nor one to undertake.
"Thank goodness that's over!" said the poplar who stood nearest. "Thank goodness!... Thank goodness!... Thank goodness!" whispered the poplars along the avenue. Next morning the keeper came. He had merely an axe with him, for he thought it would only take a couple of blows to do away with the old, rotten willow-stump.
It was a tiny place, hardly worthy to be called an island, and yet for Diana it held an immense attraction. She wanted to get on to it. She went down one day with Wendy, Peggy, and Vi, and they took the plank which had been used for a see-saw, fixed it as a bridge from the landing-stage to a willow-stump, and then walked across and took possession.
"I don't want to interrupt you," said he, "and I know you wish I would not come; but the others made me come. The biggest boys lay that the second size can't jump the brook at the willow-stump; and the second-size boys want Dale to try. They made me come. I could not help it."
"Hey, lads," said the wheelwright with a low chuckle, as he walked down with the boys to where the lanthorn still hung upon the willow-stump, the care of the constable having been left to the women; "he don't seem to hev lost his tongue." "But he's very bad, isn't he?" said Dick anxiously. "I should say no," replied Hickathrift. "Man who's very badly don't call people." "But his leg?"
One cry, one shout passed, then John had torn off coat, boots, and waistcoat, and plunged in to swim across, perceiving to his horror that not only was there imminent danger of the boy's weight overpowering her, but that the bank, undermined by recent floods, was crumbling under her feet, and the willow-stump fast yielding to the strain on its roots.
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