crept faintly through the brambles. Their eyes soon grew used to the gloom and they could see that the floor of the cave was of dry white sand, and that along one end was a narrow dark pool of water. Ferns fringed its edge and drooped their fronds to its smooth surface—a surface which caught a gleam of light, and shone whitely; but the pool was very still, and they felt somehow, without knowing why, very deep.
"It's no good, no earthly," said Francis.
"But it's an awfully pretty cave," said Mavis consolingly. "Thank you for showing it to us, Reuben. And it's jolly cool. Do let's rest a minute or two. I'm simply boiling, climbing that cliff path. We'll go down to the sea in a minute. Reuben could wait here if he felt safer."
"All right, squattez-vous," said Bernard, and the children sat down at the water's edge, Reuben still very awkward in his girl's clothes.
It was very, very quiet. Only now and then one fat drop of water would fall from the cave's roof into that quiet pool and just move its surface in a spreading circle.
"It's a ripping place for a hidey-hole," said Bernard, "better than that old bush of yours, anyhow. I don't believe anybody knows of the way in."
"I don't think anyone does, either," said Reuben, "because there wasn't any way in till it fell in two days ago, when I was trying to dig up a furze root."
"I should hide here if you want to hide," said Bernard.
"I mean to," said Reuben.
"Well, if you're rested, let's get on," Francis said; but Kathleen urged:
"Do let's say ‘Sabrina fair,' first—just to try!" So they said it—all but the Spangled Child who did not know it—
74
