Noel paid little heed to his words; he was far too unhappy to get excited over the miser's gold.
[CHAPTER IX.]
A WAY OUT.
WATCHING the waves as they flowed into the cave, Duke came to the conclusion that it was barely high tide. He and Noel would have to wait a long, long time ere it was possible to get home by way of the beach, even if they were able to climb down from their chamber in the rock. As he sat beside his brother, Duke tried hard to wait patiently, but to sit still is never easy for a boy so restless as he.
Long shafts of golden light were slanting through the window-like opening across the cave. From the direction they took Duke guessed that the sun was low in the west and the afternoon wearing to its close.
He could see gulls sailing by on white wings or perching for an instant on the edge of the window. He could catch a glimpse of the blue sky and hear the great waves dashing against the outside of the cave. Gradually their onset grew quieter. Turning to look at Noel, Duke saw that he had fallen asleep with his head resting on the hard rock.
"A stone for his pillow, like Jacob," Duke said to himself, and a feeling of pity and love for his little brother swept over him. He reproached himself for having led Noel into this trouble. He had promised his mother that he would guard Noel from danger, but not a thought had he given to this promise, nor to the possible consequences of his action when he led Noel through the secret doorway.
"If I'd been straight with mother about the candle this would not have happened," he reflected. "Poor little chap! he does look tired, and he's taken it like a brick and never said a nasty word."
Filled with remorse, Duke slipped off his coat, and rolling it into a rough bolster, placed it beneath Noel's head. Noel opened his eyes as his brother raised him, but they closed again in a moment. Duke watched him with envy. He wished he could sleep. Waiting was dull indeed when he could not talk to Noel.
Then an idea struck him. He would do a little exploring alone. He had taken care not to lose the candle. Perhaps if he found his way back to the rocky platform and groped about on it, he might find the box of matches. If he could only light the candle he would soon run back by the way they had come, and try what hammering on the door would effect.