Come to think, Becky, we are away down below them and I don t know how
far away north, or south, or east, or whichever it is. We couldn t hear
them here.
Becky grew apprehensive.
I wonder how long we ve been down here, Tom? We better start back.
Yes, I reckon we better. P raps we better.
Can you find the way, Tom? It s all a mixed-up crookedness to me.
I reckon I could find it but then the bats. If they put our candles
out it will be an awful fix. Let s try some other way, so as not to go
through there.
Well. But I hope we won t get lost. It would be so awful! and the girl
shuddered at the thought of the dreadful possibilities.
They started through a corridor, and traversed it in silence a long
way, glancing at each new opening, to see if there was anything familiar
about the look of it; but they were all strange. Every time Tom made an
examination, Becky would watch his face for an encouraging sign, and he
would say cheerily:
Oh, it s all right. This ain t the one, but we ll come to it right
away!
But he felt less and less hopeful with each failure, and presently began
to turn off into diverging avenues at sheer random, in desperate hope of
finding the one that was wanted. He still said it was all right, but
there was such a leaden dread at his heart that the words had lost their
ring and sounded just as if he had said, All is lost! Becky clung to
his side in an anguish of fear, and tried hard to keep back the tears,
but they would come. At last she said:
Oh, Tom, never mind the bats, let s go back that way! We seem to get
worse and worse off all the time.
Listen! said he.
195