FRIEDA. We are so far from home!
JACOB. We went so far to find the nuts.
GRETCHEN. It will soon be dark.
FRIEDA. We must walk as fast as we can.
GRETCHEN. Why do you stop, Peter?
PETER. There is water on the sand here.
JACOB. Come, Peter, come!
PETER. Where has this water come from?
[Illustration: 'THERE IS WATER ON THE SAND HERE']
FRIEDA. Come, come, Peter!
PETER. There was no rain yesterday. There was no rain to-day.
GRETCHEN. Come, Peter!
PETER. What if the water comes through the dike!
JACOB. Oh, that could not be! How could water get through that thick
wall?
PETER. There might be a hole in it. I will see.
GRETCHEN. Peter, Peter! Your mother waits for you.
PETER. I must find where the water comes from.
GRETCHEN. Well, I will not wait.
JACOB. Nor I!
FRIEDA. Nor I! It is too cold.
[_They go. Peter runs to the dike and looks at it carefully._]
PETER. Ah, I thought so! Here is a little hole! The water comes through
it from the sea. Soon the hole will be larger. I must find stones and
fill it.
(_He looks about for stones._)
Dear me! Dear me! I cannot find a single stone! What shall I do? The
hole will grow larger and larger. The sea will come in and cover all the
land.
Pages:
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44