"Oh, Ruth, are you hurt?" he cried, as he assisted her to get up, and disentangled her skirts from the brambles. He gazed with dismay at a scratch on her cheek, and another on her nose, and tenderly wiped away the blood with his own handkerchief. "Oh, I'm afraid you are hurt!"
For a few minutes Ruth scarcely realised what her injuries were, but after she had given herself a shake which appeared to reassure her, she declared herself unharmed except for her scratched face.
"I'm sure I don't know what they'll say at the Manor House!" she exclaimed dolefully. "That wretched donkey! And I thought him so good-tempered! Do I look an awful sight?"
"Well, yes, you look pretty bad!" Dick answered truthfully.
"Oh dear! Lionel's sure to laugh at me! He always does whenever he gets a chance! I shall never have anything to do with Neddy again, and I meant to bring him some carrots to-morrow!"
The donkey had retreated to a distance, where he was calmly nibbling the grass. Ruth cast a resentful glance in his direction, but wisely took no further notice of him. The children climbed over the gate, and stood talking a few minutes in the road before they parted.
"What are you going to do this afternoon?" Ruth enquired.
"I think I shall go down on the beach and see what has happened to the cliffs," Dick replied.
"Perhaps I'll come too! I will if I can! Shall we explore, and try to find the secret passage? Lionel would be so surprised if we did! Oh, it would be splendid!"
"So it would!" Dick agreed. "But I'm afraid it won't be much good our searching!"