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Page 67
"Is it you?" she cried. "Thank God!" and she drew them into the house.
Mrs. Stanhope had not gone to bed. She was standing just inside the
door.
"Now you may tell me all about it," she said, looking seriously at the
children, who presented a shocking appearance. "So, you've been in the
water! Where are the men?"
The children stammered out that they had seen no men. They had just come
up from the station.
Mrs. Stanhope shook her head.
"Some one must be sent to the fisherman's hut to tell the men to stop
the search," she said coldly. "I will leave the care of the children to
more skilful hands"; and she withdrew without more words.
Aunt Clarissa put them to bed directly, and a big pitcher of hot tea
was brought to each of them, from which they had to drink one steaming
cup after another, till they were warmed through. Then Clarissa sat down
first by Emma's bed, and then by Fani's, to learn exactly what had
happened, and whether they had met with any injuries that would need a
doctor's attention.
In the midst of assurances that they were not injured, and of attempts
to explain what had happened, the two tired miscreants fell asleep, and
Aunt Clarissa went to her room with thankful heart that things were no
worse.
The next morning Fani was determined, in spite of his weariness of limb,
to be punctual at the breakfast table. He sprang out of bed the moment
that he waked, and dressed an hour too early. He went into the garden to
listen to the birds; he thought their happy singing might make him
happier. As he was walking up and down, he saw the fisherman coming into
the court-yard. He went to meet him. The man stopped and lifted his cap
politely. "I know what you have come for," said Fani, taking out his
purse; "how much do I owe you?"
The man turned his cap about in his hands, as if he were turning his
thoughts over too.
"I don't want to be unreasonable," he said presently, "and I don't
suppose a young gentleman like you knows how much a boat with all its
belongings is worth. I cannot say less than eighty marks; I shall lose
at that, but I will not ask more."
Fani stood thunder-struck. Of course, as the boat was lost, he must make
it good. But eighty marks! He had never even seen so much money as
that. He was speechless. The fisherman looked thoughtfully at him.
Presently he said modestly:--
"I can understand that you cannot pay me the money yourself; you will
have to ask your mother for it. I will come again to-morrow."
"No, no!" cried Fani. "I will bring it to you as soon as I get it. I
will certainly come," he added, as he saw the man's disappointed look.
"I shall keep my word; only I can't say exactly when."
It seemed as if the man had something more to say; but he swallowed it
down, and went away, muttering to himself, "No boat! and no money to buy
another!"
Fani ran back into the house. He looked at Emma's door to see whether
her boots were still outside, but they had disappeared; so he tapped on
the door and said softly:--
"Come out, Emma, I have something to say to you."
"What is the matter? Has Mrs. Stanhope been talking to you?" asked Emma,
in a low tone, as she opened the door.
"No," said Fani, "it's not that"; and he drew her into the garden, to an
arbor in a far-away corner, and there he told her about the eighty marks
that were owing for the lost boat. Emma was greatly excited.
"We can never in the world get together so much as eighty marks! What
can we do?" she cried in a tone of anguish.
"I don't know. We can't ask Mrs. Stanhope for a lot of money like that,
after all that we have done to displease her. Can't you think of any
way? If I only knew some one to borrow of! Oh, don't you know of
anybody, Emma?"
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