She cried herself to sleep, and had just fallen into a comfortable doze, when the steamer gave a terrific roll, which sent her off the sofa. Geraldine awoke with a shriek of terror as she struck the floor.
For a moment it really seemed as if something frightful had happened, and the children clung to each other in helpless terror, but then the steamer righted herself once more, and everything seemed quiet.
“Oh, I’m so frightened—I’m so frightened!” sobbed Geraldine, even seasickness forgotten in this new alarm. “Gretel, do you think we’re going to be drowned?”
“I guess it would serve us right if we were,” observed a hoarse little voice from the upper berth. “It was a pretty awful thing to do, to run away by ourselves, and frighten Mother.”
“Mother said we must learn things by experience,” said Geraldine, with chattering teeth, “and I guess we are doing it, all right. It’s much worse than being punished. I’d rather be whipped every day, and not have any candy for a month, than be seasick.”
“Shut up about candy,” commanded Jerry, “I don’t ever want to see any candy again, or cake, or bananas either. I don’t want ever to eat anything, even meat or vegetables. I say, Geraldine, do you suppose Mother’s awfully frightened about us?”
“I’m afraid she is,” said Geraldine, mournfully; “she gets scared pretty quickly, even if she is a Mind Cure. I hope she won’t be ill, like she was the time she thought Father had been in a railroad accident. She’ll feel dreadfully if we’re drowned.”
“You won’t be drowned,” her brother assured her; “they always put the women in the life boats first. I may be, because of course I shan’t go till all the women and children are saved. Boys never do, you know.”
“Oh, Jerry, you are a brave boy!” exclaimed Geraldine, admiringly, “but I wish you wouldn’t talk about it; it scares me so.”
But Jerry seemed to rather enjoy the subject.