Troublesome Comforts | Page 4

struggling back
over the shingle and the sand, and had dropped panting at her feet, quite
unable to speak for want of breath. Her little delicate face was pink
with heat and excitement, and her thin legs trembled.
"They want to get a box and send Dickie out in it, like a boat," she
explained.
"They haven't got a box," said Susie.
"But they say they can get one easily. It's father's; and they can tie a
string on to it and drag it."
"They can ask mother," said Susie impatiently.

"Yes, I suppose so." Amy had crept nearer, and put a small, unsteady
hand on her knee. "Please don't let them do it, Susie," she said; "don't
let them be naughty."
"Don't bother," said Susie. "I can't help it."
She shook off Amy's hand impatiently; but she was sorry a moment
afterwards. Susie often said things like that, and it was rather a comfort
that Amy was always quite ready to be forgiven.
"It is so beautiful here, Amy; and I dare say they are not being naughty
really. They only hope we are looking; but I'm not going to."
She resolutely turned her back upon the boys and the strip of pebbles.
But Amy could not keep still; her eyes kept turning nervously to the
sturdy jersey-clad figures, and presently she nudged Susie again.
"They've got the box, Susie. You can't think how deep the water is, and
it looks so horrid; and Dick has a cold."
"Oh, don't bother," said Susie.
"Mother said you were to look after them, because you are the eldest,"
urged Amy.
"Why weren't one of you the eldest?" said Susie crossly. "I've been the
eldest all my life, and I'm tired of it. Mother knows I can't manage
them."
Without turning her head she knew that Amy was creeping again across
the strip of pebbles. She heard her foot slipping, and the shouts of the
boys when she reached them; then Amy's soft little frightened
voice--and then silence.
* * * * *
An hour later Mrs. Beauchamp was sitting on the little balcony outside
the drawing-room window. The sky was divinely blue, and the sun was
dazzling. Close to her feet was a basket of stockings that needed

darning, but she felt as if she must lay her needle down every now and
then, to look at the gray, glittering sea, and the shifting crowd upon the
beach. Her feet ached with perpetual running up and down stairs; but
she was glad to think that the children were happy and good. In the
room across the passage she could hear nurse singing Alick to sleep,
and down in the street below a funny little procession was winding up
from the sea. She rose and looked over the balcony on to the tops of
two sailor hats, and what looked like two soaking mushrooms. She
stared at them stupidly, wondering why the box they dragged behind
them was so familiar, and why they left such a long wet trail behind
them.
After them sauntered a few idle fishermen; but just for a minute she
could not grasp what had happened. Then she pushed the basket on one
side and ran to the drawing-room door.
Up the stairs came the hurried rush of feet, with the box bumping from
stair to stair. Then the dripping family clung about her with soaked
garments, and hair that looked like seaweed.
"Mother, change us, please, before nurse sees us."
"But what is it?" she cried. "How did it happen?"
"It was Tom's fault," said Susie, whimpering. "He sent Dick out to sea
in the uniform case, and it has a hole in it, and it went down."
"Oh, run upstairs and change; Dick has a cough."
"He didn't drown," said Tom, "because we had tied a rope to it, and a
fisherman pulled it up."
"And where is Dickie?"
"I told him to go up on the roof and dry--he's on the leads by now. It's
awfully nice there; we went this morning."
"On the roof!--Susie, tell him to come down, whilst I get their

clothes.--Tom, how can you do such things?"
"Why, you never told us not to," said Tom, with innocent eyes.
Susie crept upstairs, very white and quiet. She had been really
frightened, and she had an uncomfortable feeling at the back of her
mind that somehow it was her fault. She found Dick scrambling on to
the roof, and hauled him in with unnecessary vigour. When she got
downstairs she was sulky because her mother had not time to listen to
her eager excuses, but put her hastily on one side.
"Never mind now, Susie. The first thing is to slip off your wet clothes
and get dry, and then help me with the others.