CHAPTER XIV

GIVING A TOBOGGAN POINTS

A brilliant sun, gilding the peaks of Chocorua and shining in her eyes, awoke Harriet Burrell.

A panorama of sunlit hills, still darkened caverns and gorges, precipitous cliffs and sombre ravines caused the Meadow-Brook Girls to exclaim joyously.  Thin, silvery ribbons in the landscape showed where foaming brooks ran.  There were short waterfalls, long cascades, bright little lakes and countless valleys of green.

“It’s too beautiful to be real!” throbbed Harriet Burrell as she unwound herself from her blanket and started to replenish the fire.

The coffee pot was already on the fire, supported by two stones.  It was steaming and sputtering.  Then, for the first time, she observed that Janus Grubb was nowhere in sight.  Harriet got up and tip-toed softly to the edge of the cliff, where she lay down flat, peering over.  At first she saw nothing of interest; then all at once she caught sight of a moving speck at the foot of the cliff.

“It’s Janus!” she exclaimed.  “Why, he doesn’t look any larger than a chessman.  I wonder how much would have been left of Tommy had she fallen down there?”

Harriet shuddered at the thought of her companion’s narrow escape—­the narrow escape of the entire party, for that matter.  Crawling cautiously back, she lay gazing off over the valley.  “The poisoned lake” lay in plain view.  The girl pondered over the tragedy of which the guide had told them.  Such tragedies, such deeds of violence as he had named, should have no place in a peaceful scene such as this, thought Harriet.

“Harriet!” She turned her head to find Miss Elting sitting up with a worried expression on her face.

“For pity’s sake, come away from there!  My nerves will not stand many more such shocks as we had last night.”

“Why, I am not afraid,” answered Harriet.

“What are you doing there?”

“Watching Janus.  He is down below.  You ought to take a peep at him.  He looks so small and so funny.”

“Thank you.  I am well satisfied to take your word for it.  Will you please come away from there?”

“Certainly, if you wish it.”  Harriet got up promptly and walked back, stepping over her companions, then sitting down beside the guardian.

“You are a brave little girl, Harriet, dear,” said Miss Elting softly, patting the brown head affectionately.  “But don’t you think you are just a little bit foolhardy?”

“I—­I hadn’t thought about it,” answered the girl, flushing.  “I do not mean to be.”

“I know.  You are thoughtless of your own peril.  You know we must not let anything happen to any of our party.  We want to have other happy summers in the open together; and, were anything serious to occur to any member of our party, that would end it.  Neither your parents nor those of the other girls would permit them to go out again in this way.  Will you promise to be more careful in future?”