“I don’t know, dear, but a footpath must lead to something or somewhere.”
Aileen was wrong. The footpath led apparently to nothing and nowhere. At all events it soon became so indistinct that they lost it, and, finally, after an hour’s wandering, found themselves hopelessly involved in the intricacies of a dense jungle, without the slightest clew as to how they should get out of it.
Aileen stopped at last.
“Laura,” she said, anxiously, “we are lost!”
“I told you so,” returned Miss Pritty, in a tone that was not quite devoid of triumph.
“True, dear; but when you told me so we were not lost. Now we are. I fear we shall have to spend the night here,” she added, looking round.
Miss Pritty opened her eyes and also looked round. The sight that met her gaze was not encouraging. Afternoon was drawing on. Thick bushes and trees formed a sort of twilight there even at noon-day. Nothing with life was visible. Not a sound was to be heard, save such little rustlings of dry leaves and chirpings as were suggestive of snakes and centipedes. The unhappy Laura was now too frightened to shudder.
“What shall we do?” she asked; “shriek for help?”
“That might bring pirates to us instead of friends,” said Aileen. “Listen; do you hear no sound?”
“Nothing,” replied Miss Pritty, after a few moments of intense silence, “save the beating of my own heart. Aileen,” she continued, with sudden anxiety, “are there not serpents in these woods?”