“Yes, sir; set up your sail (said she), And row forth with evil heale, For without any fail I will not out of this town; But I have my gossips every one, One foot further I will not go. They shall not drown, by S. John! If I may save their life. They loved me full well, by Christ! But thou wilt let them in thy chest, Else row forth, Noah, whither thou list, And get thee a new wife.” “It’s rather nice of her to want to save her friends, though—isn’t it?” exclaimed Margery, who was breathlessly interested. “I don’t believe she cares a bit about them, really,” said Colin. “She only wants to be obstinate, and to make a fuss.” “Now what are they doing? Will she be left behind?” asked Margery, anxiously. “No,” said Master Gyseburn. “You see, Noah is sending his sons to make her go in. Listen to what Japhet says. He is just going to speak to her.” “Mother (begged Japhet), we pray you altogether, For we are here, your children; Come into the ship for fear of the weather.” “She won’t go! she won’t go!” cried Margery. “Noah’s sending Shem to her again! There! he’s lifted her right in!” Colin exclaimed. “Oh, isn’t she angry!” The people all round were laughing so much by this time, that the children could only just hear Shem’s words as he carried his mother up the plank into the ark: “In faith, mother, yet you shall, Whether you will or not!” “Welcome, wife, into this boat!” (cried Noah.) “And have, then, that for thy note!” [trouble] she returned, boxing her husband’s ears. At this outbreak the crowd again shouted with laughter, and went on laughing still more when Noah put his hands to his ears, moaning and complaining. By degrees, however, as the flood was supposed to rise higher and higher, he and his wife were quieted. “Over the land the water spreads! (Noah explained.) Now all this world is in a flood, As I see well in sight, This window will I close anon, And into my chamber will I gone.” The children eagerly watched him as, one after one, he closed the windows of the ark, shutting in all the little company of people and all the beasts and birds that were to be saved. “Now you must imagine that the ark is floating on the water!” said Master Gyseburn, smiling at Colin and Margery, who found no difficulty at all in doing so. “The windows will be shut for a little while, and we have to pretend that forty days have passed before Noah opens them again. Soon we shall hear him singing, and then we shall see him once more.” In a few moments, indeed, voices were heard within the ark, upraised in a psalm of praise; and when it was ended the windows were slowly slipped back, and at one of them stood Noah, a leaden weight fastened to a long cord in his hand. “What’s that for?” asked Colin. “What is he going to do?”