“But I think she will not be afraid to go in the boat,” said her father. “At any rate, we will let her go with us.”
Lucy then went to get her bonnet; and when they were all ready, she and Royal went out together; their father followed immediately afterwards. Their mother, being fatigued, preferred to remain at home.
From the principal street of the village, they passed out, through a pair of bars, into a cart road, which led through the mowing fields down towards the intervals.
They walked on together, until they came down to the intervals, which were level fields of grass and flowers, very beautiful, and extending on each side of them very far. The road gradually grew narrower, until at length it became a mere path, which finally conducted them to the bank of the river. Royal and Lucy stood upon the bank, and looked down into the water.
The bank was quite high and steep, formed of earth, which seemed to be, from time to time, caving into the water. It was green to the very brink, and some large masses of turf lay down below at the water’s edge, and partly in the water, where they had apparently fallen from above. The shore on the opposite side of the river was, however, very different. It was a low, sandy beach, with the water rippling along the pebbles, which lay upon the margin of it.
“O father,” said Royal, “I wish we could get over to that beach.”
“Yes,” said Lucy, “and then we could get down and throw stones into the water.”
“If we had a boat,” said Royal, “we could get across.”
“O no,” said their father, “this river is too shallow for a boat.”
“How do you know, father?” said Royal.