"
Ellen was turning over Alice's last words, and thinking that
little girls were not _always_ the cheerfullest and happiest
creatures in the world, when Alice suddenly exclaimed, "It is
snowing! Come, Ellen, we must make haste now!" — and set off
at a quickened pace. Quick as they might, they had gone not a
hundred yards when the whole air was filled with the falling
flakes, and the wind, which had lulled for a little, now rose
with greater violence, and swept round the mountain furiously.
The storm had come in good earnest, and promised to be no
trifling one. Alice and Ellen ran on, holding each other's
hands and strengthening themselves against the blast, but
their journey became every moment more difficult. The air was
dark with the thick-falling snow; the wind seemed to blow in
every direction by turns, but chiefly against them, blinding
their eyes with the snow, and making it necessary to use no
small effort to keep on their way. Ellen hardly knew where she
went, but allowed herself to be pulled along by Alice, or, as
well, pulled _her_ along — it was hard to say which hurried
most. In the midst of this dashing on down the hill, Alice all
at once came to a sudden stop.
"Where's the Captain?" said she.
"I don't know," said Ellen — "I haven't thought of him since
we left Mrs. Vawse's."
Alice turned her back to the wind, and looked up the road they
had come — there was nothing but wind and snow there; how
furiously it blew! Alice called "Pussy!"
"Shall we walk up the road a little way, or shall we stand and
wait for him here?" said Ellen, trembling, half from exertion
and half from a vague fear of she knew not what.
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