Outside, the rain was pouring down again, pouring hard. It trounced the leaves and bounced from the sills. Mrs. Cheever's hens, complaining, scurried for shelter; but the duck waddled serenely along the path. Now and then he would stop and look about him, and one could have sworn that he was smiling.
"We'd better go," said Julian.
"Would you like me to drive you?" offered Mr. Payton.
But, no, they wanted to run home. This rain was exciting; a massive downpour, and massive, too, was the sound of the summer's first thunder. It had a rolling, good-natured quality, like the roar of a well-fed lion.
"Good-by, Aunt Minnehaha, good-by, Uncle Pin!"
And Portia and Julian burst from the house, leaping and shouting: glad that it was raining hard and glad that they were children.
[11]
The Hot Spell
Early in July the weather turned very hot.