Adventure of a Kite | Page 5

changed into a wide, rapid, foaming river. It made such a
sound that they could hear it quite plain in their bed-room. It no longer
looked clear and blue, but was thick, muddy, and of the color of red
clay. They did not like to see it so; and what was worse it still rained,
and the water rose more and more. The plank across it had been carried

away in the night by the water, and had gone swimming down the
stream. Before they had done breakfast, they heard that the wooden
bridge was broken down; and now, when they looked out, they saw that
the water had spread half over the meadow on the opposite side. The
trees were standing in it, and looked as if they grew in a lake. The cows
were all collected on a high bank, among some trees, and were lowing
and appearing quite angry and offended at this strange conduct in the
river. The sheep had gone as far as they could out to the very hedge, to
keep on dry ground. The ponies had found a high part of the field, that
had water all round it, so that it looked like a green island, and were
feeding quite contentedly. Now and then they looked up, and shook
their manes, as much as to say, "You can't get at us. It's of no use to
want a ride."
At last it stopped raining, and the children were well wrapped up, and
put on good thick shoes, and went out to look at all this nearer. On their
way they met the gardener running down to try to save his stack of
pea-sticks; but he was too late, it was already swimming away; all his
fine stack, that he had piled up ready for spring; and he had had so
many more important things to take care of that he had not had time to
remove it sooner.
Many things now came floating down on the water. Young trees,
branches, parts of railings and fences, broken bridges and planks, all
went hurrying along, and the water foamed, and roared, and surged, and
looked quite fearful.
While they all stood looking on, the gardener still lamenting over his
pea-sticks, they saw something that looked like a large covered basket
come floating along. It chanced that it passed very near the bank on
which they stood, and little Robert cried out, "Stop it!" and began to try
to reach it with a long pole he had in his hands, with which he had been
pretending to be a ship, and holding this up for the mast. He could not
reach it; but the gardener took the pole, and after failing once or twice,
managed to push and poke at the basket till he got it so near that the
dairy-maid and nurse reached it with their hands, and pulled it to the
bank. It was only covered with a few arched sticks, over which a white

cloth was fastened.
They all crowded round it to see what it contained. They lifted up the
white cloth. O, wonder and surprise! What did they see?
"What was it? What did they see?" cried Mary and Willie both at once.
They saw a pretty little baby fast asleep, and at its feet a cat coiled up
comfortably.
"And was the baby not hurt, mamma?"
No, it was quite safe, and did not awake directly. Puss awoke and
jumped out, and ran off before any one could stop her.
The gardener said, that the basket, which they now saw to be a cradle,
must have floated away from some cottage in the village just above.
"Some poor woman is perhaps now in great grief about her child," said
he.
[Illustration]
"But we've got it safe," said Charlotte. "We'll take great care of it, and
give it back to her. Let us take it into a warm room."
As she said this the baby opened its eyes and began to cry. Nurse lifted
it up and tried to quiet it, and they all went in with it, the children
kissing its poor little red arms, and saying all sorts of soothing things to
it. When they got into the house, nurse asked for some warm whey with
a little sugar in it. She said that was the best thing for such a little baby;
and it sucked it in, and seemed to like it, and soon began to smile, and
crow, and kick about its feet, and throw about its arms. The children
were quite delighted at this; and now being happy about the baby they
began to think of poor puss; and Robert and Helen went out to look for
her. They found her just outside the house door, mewing