Hope looked. The sea was dashing among the stones directly at the base of the cliff, but some of them were still visible, and stood up black and hopeful against the spray.
"Oh, Wilmot!" she exclaimed. "Call to them; we must hasten forward. How can we reach it?"
Wilmot called in a tone which brought the whole party up to them in a moment.
"What is it?" said Maude, looking in their anxious faces.
He pointed with his disengaged hand, while he hurried forward, supporting poor Alice, who was doing her best to help herself, but could not put her foot to the ground.
"Never!" exclaimed Maude, with blanching cheeks.
The nearer they came to the projecting cliff, the quicker the ever-advancing sea seemed to come in upon them.
"What shall we do?" said Hope, when she saw that the black points were fast disappearing.
Wilmot and she were now so breathless that they were forced to give up their heavy burden to George and Maude.
"Oh, hurry on," said Maude, weeping, "and see what can be done, and whether we can pass."