The landlady assured her that the children would be safe at home in their own beds long before her master came, for three or four men besides her Tom had gone out now in search of the children, and they would be sure to find them.
But hour after hour of that terrible night passed bringing no news of the children to their distracted Nurse, and some began to whisper that they must have been carried out to sea by the outgoing tide, and that nothing might ever be seen of them again.
[CHAPTER VIII]
LITTLE ROBINSON CRUSOE
WHEN Eliza looked up through the hole at the paling sky, she quite intended keep awake until the sun was up, and then creep down the stairs to see if the cave was clear of water, before she disturbed the little boy from his sound sleep.
But before she was aware of it her eyelids drooped, her head sank back against the chalk wall, and she too was as soundly asleep as the child. She slept on for an hour or two, and then woke up with a start and in a fright. She looked up through the hole at the morning sky, and saw that it was quite bright. She felt sure that she should find the cave had dried in the morning sun, so she slipped the little boy aside out of her arms, unfastened her frock, and after some pulling and tugging, managed to get her arms out of the sleeves, and tucking the frock securely round the little sleeper, she made her way down the steps as quickly as she could.
When she reached the last step, she saw, to her dismay, that the tide was coming in again, and the sea was just beginning to flood the cave once more, but it was not deep enough yet to more than wet her feet, and she walked through that to look out and see if she could carry Eustace to the dry sand which she knew would lie a little way beyond. But, to her great consternation, there was no dry spot within view of where she stood, and she gazed out upon the water as it came slowly lapping in, and wondered whether anybody had been to look for them or would come this morning; and with the wild hope that Nurse or somebody might be searching for them, she thrust her head out as far as she could, and called, "Nurse, Nurse."
But no answer came to her call, and Eliza grew almost desperate as she thought of the little boy asleep up the steps. Presently he would wake up and cry for his breakfast and for Nurse to come to him; and what could she do to pacify him? And with the thought of poor little Robinson Crusoe's distress, she took courage to step out of the cave into the water beyond. It was very terrible to see nothing but the whirling, eddying water all round her, but she boldly ran forward to where she thought she would be seen if any one had come in search of her. To her intense relief, she saw the figures of three men in the distance, and she raised her arms and waved them, at the same time shouting "Help, help!" For a minute they did not seem to hear or see her, then all at once one of them began to run, and waved his arms in token that he saw her; and by that time Eliza's clothes began to dabble in the water, and she made her way back to the cave, but still stood at the edge looking out, for fear the men should pass, and this hope of rescue be lost to them.
But in a minute or two she saw, to her amazement, that the man who had outran the others was no other than the Vicar himself. She was too much overcome to speak for a moment, but before he stepped into the cave, she called out, "Go up the stairs quick, sir—Master Eustace is asleep just at the top;" and as the Vicar ran past her she sank down in the water, but was picked up the next minute by one of the fishermen who had followed closely behind the Vicar. The other, seeing the girl's scanty, dripping clothing, pulled off his thick guernsey and covered the girl up in it, and then ran back for a boat.
Eliza lay limp and inert in the fisherman's arms, and he wondered in some alarm whether they had not come too late to save the girl.