Then the steps stopped, and a faint murmur was heard, but not loud enough to distinguish the words; and then the newcomers' steps moved on again.
The children began to breathe more freely.
"Better stay quiet another minute or two," said Freda.
But Helena was not happy in her mind about little Leigh.
"It's so damp and chilly in here under the bridge," she said to Freda. "He's sure to catch cold unless he gets a run in the sunshine."
"He must be awfully delicate then," said Hugh, with some contempt in his voice. "You should see the wettings we get—even Maggie, and she's a girl."
At this Leigh grew very red, and Helena found he was going to burst out crying, which would not have been a very good way of showing he was a man, I consider.
But Freda told Hugh not to talk nonsense, for she was sensible enough to know that what Helena said was true.
"I'll peep out now," she said, "and if the coast is clear, I'll 'cooey' to you very softly, like we do at 'I spy,' and then you can all come out. I'll wait for you at the top of the bank. It's a bother to go up it and down and up again—it's such slippery work."
She peeped out as she said—cautiously at first; then again encouraged, she made her way half way up the bank and glanced round her.