Norman remembering that Fanny had broken his stick before, thought it would be wise not to tempt her to do so again, and therefore, though he continued to flourish it, and now and then to touch her frock, he did not venture to beat her.
Fanny went on contentedly, sometimes turning round to speak to him and sometimes stopping to rest. As the ground looked smoother to the right, Fanny turned off from the main track and went towards a clump of trees which she saw in the distance, knowing that it would serve as a guide to her and believing she could easily find her way back again.
On and on they went—Norman was delighted.
“This is great fun; I wonder where we shall get to at last,” he said, when Fanny again stopped to rest. “I think it will be soon time, however, to go back again,” she observed, “for though Mr Maclean told us we could come to no harm on the moor, we might lose our way if we went very far.”
Norman urged her to go on.
“I see a cottage a little way off between the trees, let us go as far as that, and then we can turn back,” he said.
Fanny wished to please him and though she already felt a little tired, she thought there would be no difficulty in reaching the cottage, and that she would like to talk to the people who lived in it. At length, however, the ground became rougher than ever, and they soon came to a shallow burn or stream which made its way from the higher part of the moor, and went winding along till it fell into the loch below.
“I am afraid we must turn back now at all events,” she said, “I shall never be able to drag the carriage over this rough ground and across the stream, so we must go back and give up visiting the cottage.”
“Oh no, no! go on,” cried Norman, “you can easily cross the water, it is scarcely above the soles of your shoes and see there are some big stones on which you can tread while you drag the carriage along on one side of them.”
“I think I could do that if you were not in it,” said Fanny, “I must not let you, however, run the risk of wetting your feet; mamma objects to that as she is afraid of your catching cold. If you will cling round my neck, I will carry you across in my arms, and then I will go back and get the carriage.”