In about fifteen minutes he
heard the office door open, and his cousin Forester came in. Forester
walked into the study, but said nothing to Marco. Marco kept at his
work, without speaking to his cousin. He began to hope that he might
yet escape. His only fear now was lest his wet clothes should be
observed. He put his hand down many times to his knees, to ascertain
how fast they were drying. The clothes that he wore were of woolen,
and of a dark color, so that they did not show the wet very
distinctly, and, besides, the sun and the air were warm that day, and
the clothes had dried fast. In a word, when twelve o'clock arrived and
Marco put his books away, nobody would have observed that his clothes
had been wet. He ran about in the open air until dinner-time, and
though, when he went in to dinner, he felt oppressed with a sense of
guilt and of self-condemnation, he was satisfied that no one suspected
him. Marco thought that he had had a very lucky escape.
Chapter VII.
A Dilemma.
Though Marco's first feeling was that of relief, to find that he had
got back from his truancy without detection, he felt, after all, ill
at ease. He kept out of sight till the dinner-bell rang, and then he
was almost afraid to go in, for fear that, by some accident or other,
his uncle might have noticed his absence, and might ask him something
about it.
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