Once, according to their own words, they took revenge upon the old Tor, and had picnics upon its wind-swept heights in a body; but where the revenge lay they themselves best knew. But the girls looked down the Ugly Leap with awe, Oscar, with his scarred forehead, looking down with the rest. A wonderfully clear view they had of the sea and the Swallow's Cliff.
"I say," cried Dick, the happy thought striking him as he gazed, "couldn't we take the girls over as far as the cliffs and the sea? They've never been there, you know, Willett, and 'twouldn't be too far, if we took old Rameses and the cart."
"Just a nice little outing," agreed Oscar; and down they all sat in council to sketch out the programme, to use their own words.
THE EXPEDITION TO SWALLOW'S CLIFF--CAUGHT BY THE TIDE.
"How far is it?" was Inna's leading question.
"Three miles as the crow flies," returned Dick.
"It would be jolly," said Jenny, using a word of Dick's.
"And I hope grand-auntie will let us go," sighed Sybil.
"Oh, she'll be sure to if I stand surety for your safety, like a good old grandfather," Dick assured them. "And, I say, it ought to be to-morrow, Willett," he suggested.
"Yes; but it can be done. I'll see Madame Giche on our way home."
So when the gold was intermingling with the grey under the park trees, and it was hard upon sundown, the whole party went bounding up the avenue at the Owl's Nest, the rooks over their heads cawing a noisy "good night" to them and the world in general. They found Madame Giche pacing to and fro on the terrace with the peacocks.
At first the aged lady was hard to manage: if her nieces were of the party, they must take Rance, their nurse, she said; but, as Dick assured her, there was no need.
"They'll be as safe as safe, dear Madame Giche," were his words, spoken with the persuasive grace of a courtier, smiling his boyish smile into her face. "With two such safeguards as Willett and me, they can't come to any harm--in fact, there's nothing they can come to harm in--'tis a safe shore, even if they took into their heads to bathe, which none of the young ladies will, I daresay."
"No, grand-auntie; we don't want to bathe or do anything dangerous," pleaded Sybil.
"And we don't want to be babies, and take our nurse," objected Olive.