After a while the captain came down and asked where they came from, and where they were going in that “old fish-box.”

Fani told the whole story without reserve.  An expression of amusement passed over the captain’s brown face more than once during this narration, and when he had heard all, he said kindly that they must get themselves dried off as best they could; he was going to stop at Cologne, and there they could take the train home again.

To reward him for saving them, Mrs. Stanhope could invite him to visit her house at the next vintage.

This was their second visit to Cologne; how different it was from the first one!

The captain’s parting advice was that they should in future make their expeditions by land rather than by water; it was much safer, he said.

It was pretty dark by this time, and they had some trouble in finding the way to the station.  They wandered from street to street inquiring their way, and at last found themselves again at the steamboat wharf, just where they had landed.  They began to fear that they should lose the train and have to stay in the city all night.  They set out again upon their search, and at last they came upon a policeman, who took pity upon them and led them through alleys and by-streets to the station, where they found that one train had just left, and they must wait two hours for the next.  The little wanderers sat down outside the building to wait.  They were wet and cold and hungry, but they did not complain of these minor troubles; their anxieties lay far deeper.

“I am dreadfully worried,” said Fani, with a deep sigh.

“So am I, but I don’t know exactly why,” replied Emma.

“Well, I do,” said the boy.  “I’m perfectly sure that Mrs. Stanhope will send me home after this, and poor Elsli will have to go too, for she could never stay without me.”

“Oh, that is dreadful!” cried Emma.  She was conscience-stricken.  It was a bad scrape, and it was mainly her fault.  “Mrs. Stanhope is so kind,” she went on hopefully, “perhaps she will not be so very angry.”

Fani shook his head.

“You don’t know about it, Emma.  Of course Mrs. Stanhope is the greatest benefactress in the world.  But she is very particular about our minding exactly what she tells us; and one of her principal rules is that we must never disturb the regularity of the household, and must keep punctually to just such hours; and now see what we have done!  We shall not get home till twelve o’clock to-night, midnight!  Probably they are hunting for us everywhere.  How will it all turn out?  Oh, dear! if she sends us off, there’s an end of drawing and painting for me!  That’s all over”; and Fani looked despairing.

Emma felt that he knew Mrs. Stanhope far better than she did, and her courage began to fail.  They sat in silence till the train came along.  At the end of their journey they had a long walk from the station to Rosemount, and they stumbled along in the dark, frightened and trembling, and scarcely exchanging a word.  Their hearts beat more and more as they neared the house.  As they entered the court-yard, the watch-dog began to bark, but he stopped when he heard Fani’s voice.