He
tossed from side to side on the pine needles. But though he felt
often drowsy, he was afraid to yield to the sensation; and early,
very early in the morning, before the sun had risen, he got up. Going
to the door of the hut, he stood there for a moment or so looking
down into the forest. Just around the little hut there was a clearing
of trees; but the forest itself looked dark. The trees cast long
shadows, and Maurice felt rather nervous at the idea of venturing
into their gloom. Suddenly, however, he heard a bird sing clear and
sweet up into the sky, and the next moment two squirrels darted past
his feet.
These two events decided him: the day was coming on apace, and soon
Cecile and Joe would wake and begin to prepare for their journey.
Without waiting to look around, he stepped into the dark shadows of
the trees; and, in a moment, his little figure was lost in the gloom.
To enable him to creep very quietly away--so quietly that even Toby
should not awake--he had decided not to put on his shoes and
stockings, and he now ran along the grass with his bare feet. He
liked the sensation. The grass felt both cool and soft, and he began
to wonder why he had ever troubled himself with such clumsy, tiresome
things as shoes and stockings.
The sun had now risen, and the forest was no longer dark; and
Maurice, looking back, saw that he had quite lost sight of the hut.
He also, at the same moment, discovered, growing in great clusters,
almost at his feet, dog violets, some as large as heart's-ease.
Pages:
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242