“How splendidly the rescue and all that comes round,” said William; “just like it does in all the printed books. Why, Captain Hardy, it couldn’t have been better if you’d made the story up, it looks so real!”
While, as for little Alice, she never said a word, but only looked upon the old man wonderingly.
CHAPTER XX.
Brings the Holidays of the Little People and the Story of the Old Man to an End.
Again the Mariner’s Rest receives the little people; again the Ancient Mariner is there to welcome them. But a shade of sadness is upon the old man’s face, and the children are not so gay as is their wont; for all things must have an end, and holidays are no exception to the rule.
“Isn’t it too bad,” said William, looking very sober,—“isn’t it too bad that this is to be the last of it?”
“Not so bad for you as for me,” replied the Ancient Mariner; and the old man looked as gloomy and forsaken as if he had been cast away in the cold again. But he soon cheered up, and in a much livelier way he said, “Well now, my hearties, since this is to be the last of it, suppose we close the story in the ‘Crow’s Nest,’ where we first began it; for you see, if the Dean and I were rescued from the desolate island and the savages, we were not home yet. Now, what do you say to that, my dears?”
“The Crow’s Nest! Yes, yes, the Crow’s Nest!” cried the children all at once; and away they scampered to it, as light and merry as if they had never for an instant been sad at thought of the parting that was so soon to come.