Chapter 15

TIME: _late afternoon in autumn._ PLACE: _Holland._

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PETER. JACOB. GRETCHEN. FRIEDA.

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[_The_ CHILDREN _enter. They carry buckets full of nuts._]

GRETCHEN. How cold it is!

FRIEDA. Let us run. Then we shall not be cold.

PETER. How can we run? We shall spill our nuts.

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?

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. What shall I do? I cannot go and tell the people. That would take too long. What shall I do? What shall I do?

(_He thinks for a moment._)

I know! I know how to stop it!

(_He thrusts his arm through the hole. He shivers._)

How cold it is!