By the time the sail-boat came up to the wherry, the children were thoroughly drenched and sobered. A more subdued set of little sailors the captain had never seen.
"Well, now," said he, patting the little girls on the head, "I had a fine lecture made up for you crazy chickens; but you are all so meek, that I reckon I"ll just take you on board, and not scold you till I get you ash.o.r.e."
It was the narrowest escape! and they all knew it. The "foolish chickens" hid their heads, and made mental resolves that they would never, never venture out of sight of land again without some older person to take care of them.
"Don"t you tell my father, now," said Johnny to Dotty, as they went home, dripping like a pair of sea-bathers.
"Nor don"t you tell mine, nor Susy, nor Prudy, neither."
"We shall have to make up some kind of a story," added Johnny, reflectively. "I don"t know but we reached over too far after sea-sh.e.l.ls, didn"t we, and fell into the bay? _You_ did (say), and I got in after you, and pulled you out by your hair."
"Why, Johnny!"
"Well, then, you didn"t; _I_ fell in, and you pulled _me_ out--by the boots; only my boots would have come off, though, they"re so big!"
"O, Johnny Eastman!"
Dotty had stopped short in the road, and was looking at her cousin with an expression of mingled pity and scorn.
"Then make up something better to suit yourself."
"I don"t make up stories, I just hope I don"t," returned Dotty, squeezing the skirt of her dress indignantly.
"But," said Johnny, "they"ll know it wasn"t all rain-water."
"Then I shall tell the whole, whole truth," exclaimed Miss Dimple, setting her feet down so firmly that the water made a gurgling noise in her boots. "I"ll tell how you boys teased us girls to go."
"O, ho, Dot Dimple! that"s as much of a story as pulling out by the hair! _I_ didn"t want you to go. I tried to stop it."
"Yes, I know it, and that was why I went," said Dotty, gravely! "I wasn"t going to have you say I mus"n"t! If you"d been _willing_, I shouldn"t have gone a step."
By this time they had reached Mr. Eastman"s gate.
"You tell if you dare!" said Johnny. And, after that, Dotty never thought any longer of trying to conceal a single item of their remarkable adventure. Since Johnny had dared her, she would _certainly_ tell.
CHAPTER VII.
TELLING OF IT.
Dotty saw her father through the window. She had not supposed it was dinner-time. Her head, which she had just been tossing so proudly, was suddenly lowered, and she entered the house with "faint-footed fear,"
and stole noiselessly up stairs, leaving wet tracks on the elegant carpet. She did not wish to meet her father while she was in such a plight.
"O, Prudy!" she called out, "something has happened!"
But Prudy was not within hearing. Angeline had given her permission to peel the potatoes for dinner, and she was now in the kitchen, quite unconscious of her little sister"s forlorn situation. Hatless Johnny had crept around by the back door, and put himself under the care of Jane, the chambermaid. Janey was very kind-hearted, and withal a little weak-minded. She had often helped Johnny out of his predicaments, receiving in return plenty of kisses and sugar-plums.
But who was going to help Dotty? She did not know where to look for dry garments; for, since her mother went away, her own clothes, and those of her two sisters, had been tossed together in sad confusion. She did not like to go to Susy, for Susy would probably scold; and Dotty, just now, was so uncomfortable, and her nerves had been so terribly racked, that she thought she could bear anything better than to be blamed.
"O, dear! where in this world was Prudy?"
She fidgeted about, trying to find she knew not what. Then she remembered she had herself locked the trunk, to hide away some almond candy from the other girls. Where she had put the key she did not know.
The dinner-bell rang, and still Prudy did not appear.
"I believe she does it _to purpose_," thought Miss Dimple, pulling out the bureau drawers in great haste, and scattering their contents right and left.
"Seem"s if I should freeze, but I don"t s"pose she cares. I don"t want any dinner. If Prudy"d bring me up a piece of pudding, I"d eat it; but she won"t, nor pie either."
By this time Dotty had nearly forgotten that all her misery was the result of her own misconduct. She would remember it by and by with renewed shame; but, just now, she had somehow shifted the blame upon innocent Prudy, forgetting that that dear little sister did not even know she was in the house.
"And I sha"n"t eat any supper," continued the shivering Dotty. "I wonder how many dinners and suppers "twould take to starve folks to death?
Prudy said she loved me; but if she does, why don"t she come up here, and get me some clean clothes?"
Meanwhile, at the dinner-table down stairs, there were three places empty. Mrs. Eastman had gone to c.u.mberland, and Susy told her father that Johnny and Dotty were away somewhere at play. It was such a careless household, and the meals were so irregular, that Mr. Parlin had several times missed Dotty at table. He did not pay any more attention than usual to her absence to-day, but thought, with a feeling of relief,--
"Her mother will soon be at home, and then I shall feel very much easier about Alice and the other children."
If Mr. Parlin had only known that Dotty was shivering up stairs in wet clothes, he might not have lingered so long over his ice-cream. As it was, he chatted leisurely with Mr. Eastman, put on his hat, and walked away, saying to Susy, in a low voice, as he pa.s.sed her in the hall,--
"My daughter, while I am so busy, and your mother is gone, I wish you would pay more attention to your little sister Alice. I am really afraid she is running wild."
"Yes, sir," replied Susy, with a swift pang of conscience; for she now recollected that it was seldom she even knew where Dotty was, her mind being wholly absorbed by play and fancy-work.
At this moment Johnny appeared, fresh from a bath, and dressed in a clean suit.
"Where is Dotty?" asked Susy, rather surprised by Johnny"s tidy array.
"Dot? O, she"s in the house somewhere. She came home when I did."
Johnny spoke very carelessly. He was anxious that no one should suppose anything unusual had occurred.
Susy and Prudy went up stairs in search of their missing sister. They found her in her own room, sitting down disconsolately in the middle of the floor.
"Why, Dotty Dimple, where have you been? How _did_ you get so wet?"
No answer.
"Have you been trying to swim?" laughed Prudy, going up and stroking her forehead.
"Prudy Parlin, why didn"t you come up here before?" was the sudden response. "I called you and called you.--Where"d you put my clo"es?"
"Why, Dotty, dear, I didn"t know you were in the house; and I never touched your clothes."
"Yes, you did. I can"t find the key. I"m going to freeze. You don"t care. You never brought me a speck of pudding. I"m sick, and going to have the sore throat. I wouldn"t eat it now if the mayor was right in this room--so there!"