CHAPTER IX

BEGINNINGS?

'Very wrong, very wrong,

Very wrong and bad.'-Child World.

'LET's run on fast a little way,' said Bertrand, 'to make her think we won't wait for her. That will frighten her, and she will run after us, you'll see. Don't look round, Ruby.'

In his heart he really did not believe that Mavis would change her mind or run after them. And he did not care. Indeed, he much preferred having Ruby alone, as he knew he could far more easily persuade her by herself to join in his mischievous schemes. But he felt that she was half-hearted about leaving her sister, and so he did not hesitate to trick her too.

They hurried on for some distance. Then Ruby,

who was growing both tired and cross, pulled her hand away from Bertrand.

'Stop,' she said. 'I'm quite out of breath. And I want to see if Mavis is coming.'

Bertrand had to give in. They were on higher ground than the shore, and could see it clearly. There lay the little boat as they had left it, and Mavis sitting in it calmly. To all appearance at least. 'She's not coming-not a bit of her,' exclaimed Ruby angrily. 'I don't believe you thought she

would, Bertrand.'

'She will come, you'll see,' said the boy, 'and even if she doesn't, what does it matter? We'll run on and spy out the old wizard and have some fun. Mavis will stay there safe enough till we get back.'

'I thought you meant to go home by the village and tell the people about old Adam, if we do see anything queer,' said Ruby.

'So I did, but if you're in such a fidget about Mavis perhaps we'd better go home as we came, and not say anything in the village to-day. I'd like to see what Master Winfried has been up to when we get back. Perhaps he'll have got some old witch to lend him a broomstick, and we shall find him flown ; and Bertrand laughed scornfully.

Ruby laughed too.

'But

'I don't think that's likely,' she said. there's no telling. I do wish he and his grandfather were out of the country altogether. There's something about Winfried that makes me feel furious. He is such a prig; and he's even got cousin Hortensia to think him a piece of perfection.'

'He may take his perfections elsewhere, and he shall, too,' said Bertrand. And the fierceness of his tone almost startled even Ruby.

They were not far from the old fisherman's cottage by this time. They stopped again to take breath. Mavis and the boat were not visible from where they stood, for the path went in and out among the rocks, and just here some large projecting boulders hid the shore from sight.

Suddenly, as if it came from some cave beneath their feet, both children grew conscious of a faint sound as of distant music. And every moment it became clearer and louder even though muffled. Bertrand and Ruby looked at each other.

'Mermaids!' both exclaimed.

'They always sing,' said Bertrand.

'Yes,' added Ruby, with her old confusion of ideas about syrens; 'and they make people go after

them by their singing, and then they catch them and kill them, and I'm not sure but what they eat them. I know I've read something about bare dry bones being found. Shall we put our fingers in our ears, Bertrand?' She looked quite pale with fear.

'Nonsense,' said the boy. 'That's only sailors at sea. They lure them in among the rocks. We're quite safe on dry land. Besides, I don't think it's mermaids that do that.

They're miserable crying

creatures; but I don't think they kill people.'

The subterraneous music came nearer and nearer. Somehow the children could not help listening.

'Didn't you say you and Mavis heard singing the day you were here before-at the wizard's cottage, I mean?' said Bertrand.

'N-no, not exactly singing. It was laughing, and a voice calling out good-bye in a singing way,' answered Ruby.

As if in response to her words, the ringing suddenly stopped, and from below their feet-precisely below it seemed-came the sound of ringing, silvery laughter, clear and unmistakable.

'Oh,' cried Ruby, 'come away, Bertrand. I'm sure it's the mermaids, and they will catch us and kill us, you'll see,'

Her boasted courage had not come to much. And yet there was nothing very alarming in the pretty sounds they had heard.

'And what if it is the mermaids?' said Bertrand coolly. We came out to catch them, didn't we? It's just what we wanted. Come along, Ruby. How do we get to the cottage? There seems to be a sort

of wall in front.'

'We go round by the back,' said Ruby. 'It's there there are the queer grottoes and little caves. But you won't go far into them, will you, Bertrand ? For I am not at all sure but that the mermaids come up from the sea through these caves; you see they do come some underground way.'

Bertrand gave a sort of grunt. What Ruby said only made him the more determined to explore as far as he possibly could.

They entered the strange little garden I have already described without further adventure. There seemed no one about, no sound of any kind broke the almost unnatural stillness.

'How very quiet it is,' said Ruby with a little shiver. 'And there's no smoke coming out of the chimney-there was the last time, for there was a good fire in the kitchen where old Adam was.'