OH, what a long night that was! The hours seemed as if they would never pass away. There was a clock on the mantelshelf, and the hands moved round so slowly, that sometimes I thought it must have stopped altogether.
I fell asleep once or twice, but only for a short time, and, whenever I woke, mother was pacing up and down the room.
Every now and then she went to the window and drew back the curtains, and looked out to see if any light had come in the sky. But it was a dark, wild night ; the wind was howling in the chimney, and the rain was beating against the windows.
About five o’clock I fell asleep for a few minutes, though I had been trying very hard to keep awake. Then I woke up quite suddenly, and heard a door shut. I opened my eyes, and saw that mother was gone.
I jumped out of bed, and drew back the curtains from the window, and I saw that it was beginning to get light. Mother had gone to look for Melville ; I felt sure of that.
I put on my hat, and wrapped a shawl round me. and went downstairs as fast as I could.
In the hall I found Captain Hendrie, and Miss Howard, and all the people who had been out the night before. They were all starting again to look for Melville.
‘Where is your mother, Olive ? said Miss Howard. ‘Won’t you stop with her, dear?’
‘Mother has gone, Miss Howard,’ I said.
‘Haven’t you seen her ?’
‘Oh dear!’ said Miss Howard ; ‘she must have gone down to the shore. I am so sorry. Can’t anybody stop her ? I had no idea that she had gone out. Oh, she must not go alone. Come, let us go after her as fast as we can. Oh dear, I wish we had gone before her !’
I could see that Miss Howard was very much afraid of what mother would find on the shore, and the thought of it made me tremble very much indeed.
But there was no time to think about it then. We all went down the rocky path as fast as we could, and tried to overtake mother. Some of them ran very fast, but no one went so quickly as mother.
When we got as far as the cottage, we could see her before us on the shore, fighting against the wind and the rain, and running on so fast that no one could get up to her.
I never knew before that mother could run so quickly ; it was wonderful to see how she still kept so far in front of us. I suppose it was because she loved Melville so very much.
Then she went round a ridge of rocks, and we could see her no more.
‘I am afraid we shall not overtake her,’ said Miss Howard. ‘Oh, may God help her, and comfort her, poor thing!’
Miss Howard was crying very much, and I cried too, though I hardly knew what she meant. But I felt quite sure that she must think that something very dreadful had happened to Melville and that she was afraid of mother’s finding it out when she was alone.
It can only have been five minutes after this that we turned round the ridge of rocks and saw mother again, and yet it seemed more like an hour. We wanted to get on so fast, and it seemed as if our feet would not carry us.
Captain Hendrie got there first, for when we came close to the corner, Miss Howard took hold of my arm and drew me back a little, as if she dreaded turning it.
But, to our astonishment, no sooner did Captain Hendrie reach the place from which he could see mother, than he turned round to all the people who were following, and, taking off his hat, he gave a long and hearty cheer.
What had he seen?
Oh, how Miss Howard and I hurried on now!
‘Look there!’ said Captain Hendrie, in a very glad voice, as we came up to where he was standing. ‘Look there!’ and he pointed to mother.
She was coming towards us, and we saw (but I could hardly believe my eyes) that her arm was round Melville’s neck, and her hand was resting on his shoulder.
Yes, she had found her boy ! Melville was safe! Oh, it seemed too good to be true !
We ran quickly to meet them, and mother said, in a choking voice,—
‘I’ve found him ; I’ve found my darling boy: You must all of you thank God so much for me.’
But mother could not say anything more. Her hand dropped from Melville’s shoulder, and if Miss Howard had not hid her, she would have fallen backwards on the ground. Mother was so worn out with all she had gone through, that she had fainted, and it was a long time before she seemed to know any of us again.
We were so glad when at last she opened her eyes and smiled at Melville.
Then she tried to walk, but her legs trembled so much that she could not stand, and she was obliged to sit down again. So Miss Howard sent one of the servants home to bring the little pony carriage, in which she often drove on the sands, and mother waited until it came, leaning against Miss Howard, but holding Melville’s hand fast in her own.
‘Where have you been all night, my child?’ said Miss Howard, as soon as mother began to be a little better.
‘ Up there, in the cave,’ said Melville, pointing to a place about halfway up the cliffs. ‘I got up there when tide came in, and then I couldn’t get out again till just now. But oh, I did think of mother! I knew she would think I was drowned.’ And for the first time Melville began to cry.
We were very glad to get back to Langholme, for mother seemed very exhausted, and Melville was cold and tired and hungry.
Miss Howard wanted mother to go to bed at once, but she seemed as if she could not let Melville go out of her sight.
So breakfast was made ready, and they both looked so much better when they had some. And then Melville told us what had happened to him, and how he had spent the night. I am not going to write it down here, because I want Melville to write it himself for me. I do not know whether he will, because he always laughs so much about my red book ; but I shall ask him some wet day, when he has nothing else to do.
Mother was so grateful to Captain Hendrie, and Miss Howard, and all the kind people, who had taken so much pains to find Melville.
After breakfast we drove back to Ravenscliffe. Miss Howard wanted us very much to stop but mother was anxious to get home to the children, and to let them know that Melville was safe.
But they had heard the news before we got there, for one of the people who had been with us on the shore had run over to Ravenscliffe to tell them. So, when we got near the house, we saw them all coming to meet us.
Little Whisker was with them. Mrs. M’Bride said that Whisker had been so miserable the night before, she might have known that something was wrong with Melville. She did nothing but cry, and run about from one room to another, and jump upon the chairs and off them again, as if she could not rest anywhere. Now that Melville was home she was quite contented again, and purred and rubbed herself against him every few minutes.
As soon as we got home, mother took Melville and me into her own room, and we knelt down, and she thanked God so very, very much for hearing her prayer, and keeping Melville safe. And then she prayed that the life which God had spared might be given to Him, and that from this time Melville might indeed become one, of God’s own children, and spend the rest of his life in God’s service. I never heard mother pray so earnestly before.
Oh, I do hope her prayers for Melville and for me will be answered!