"His children one by one crossed over his body into safety, and just as the last child was saved, the house fell in, and the man was killed. When the Blessed Lord Jesus died on the Cross, He made a bridge for Rachel, and for you and for me to Heaven. You see, I have good news for your old friend, Geoff my boy, so you run home as fast as you can or you'll get a scolding."
And Geoff did get a scolding. Nurse met him at the door.
"Master Geoff," she cried, "I'm downright ashamed of you for setting the children such an example. There I've been worrying after you for the last twenty minutes, and thought you'd come to some accident or other. I'm downright ashamed of you."
"I had some business to do," said Geoffrey, trying to pass her. But Nurse placed her portly figure in his way.
"Business! A chit like you talking of business! What'll you come to next, I wonder. You're a naughty boy and ought to be ashamed of yourself. What business have you had to do, I should like to know, except to be a good obedient boy. That's the business you ought to be doing I take it."
Geoffrey flushed angrily. His mother never scolded him in this way, and he had often run messages for her as late as this by himself.
"Let me pass, Nurse," he said angrily, trying to push past her, "I've not been doing anything wrong."
"Nothing wrong!" exclaimed Nurse, catching hold of his arm. "Nothing wrong to make me that anxious about you that I didn't know what to do—nothing wrong that you've kept us all waiting for tea, and have set a bad example to all the children. I'm ashamed of you Master Geoff. Now I should like to know what you've been about, and I mean to know too."
But at the sight of the bread and water, he lost his temper completely,
and taking up the glass, he threw it on to the ground.