"We must go back again, Master Eustace," she said as quietly as she could.
"What for?" demanded the little boy, although as he spoke he ceased to push the girl, for he, too, felt that something had happened that he did not quite understand.
"The water has come into our cave," she said. "One foot went into it just now, so that we are close to the edge."
Eustace quickly clambered up the steps, holding fast by Eliza's frock.
"I must take care of you," he said, when she asked him not to pull quite so hard.
They made their way back to where the stairway turned, and were glad of the peep of daylight from above when they saw it again.
"We must make haste now," said Eliza, "for we shall have to walk home along the cliffs, and that is further round, I heard Nurse say."
They clambered on as quickly as they could for a few yards further, and then met a steep bank of earth, while the little bit of daylight visible was still a long way ahead of them.
"Why, what has happened?" exclaimed Eliza, as she stumbled forward on to the soft mass of sand and clay that rose like a wall before them, nearly closing the entrance of the stairway.
At the same moment the little boy's courage and endurance quite gave way, and he sank down.