"Perhaps not; but Eliza must do as I tell her, and so must you," concluded Nurse, looking gravely at the boy.
The Vicarage party had been about a week at the seaside, and mother and father having seen them comfortably settled, had gone on to visit a sick relative according to their original intention. They had stayed at the quiet little village of Stillborough the previous year, and Eustace had rambled round the coast and neighbouring common with his father many times, so that he considered himself quite an expert traveller, and did not at all like to confine his explorations so as to be within ken of Nurse, as she sat on her camp-stool sewing, or reading a little bit to Winny out of her own book. It was still worse, the little boy thought, to have Eliza in attendance upon him, and so he had tried to come to an understanding with Nurse once for all.
Eliza sat near Nurse on the sand, with Winny in her lap, listening and smiling at Master Eustace as he tried to lay down the law that was to govern his own particular wanderings, and having done this at least to his own satisfaction, the little boy walked away.
"I wish the master had not said so much to the child about taking care of himself!" exclaimed Nurse, as she turned her head to look after him. "Of course the master meant it for the best, for him and for us too, but there's nothing that child is afraid of, and a nice treat we shall have with him, I know;" and Nurse sighed.
"Shall I go after him, Nurse?" asked Eliza, who thought nothing of a long ramble on the sands in attendance upon her favourite so greatly had she improved in health already. "Shall I go after him?" she repeated, springing to her feet as she spoke.
But Nurse pulled her skirt to sit down again. "Not now," she said. "I can see him between those clumps of sea-thistles. Ah! he is coming back now," said Nurse, in a tone of satisfaction. "But I tell you what you must do if you should be away from me, and see Master Eustace wandering off by himself—send Winny back to me, if you should have her with you, and just follow on behind Master Eustace, so as to keep him in sight without letting him know anything about it. Try to remember this, Eliza, and that I give Master Eustace into your care, for you will be able to follow him better than I can."
The girl felt very proud of the charge thus entrusted to her.
"See, he is coming back now, Nurse," said Eliza, who was always ready to condone the little fellow's faults.
"There, I have been a far far way, Nursey, and I am back safe, you see," said the little fellow proudly, as he stood before Nurse and made a grimace of defiance at Eliza.
"Yes, I see you are here safe and sound, and if you never try to go further than the far far way near the bushes, Nurse will not scold you," she said.