Prudence actually laughed. She patted her bulging tummy. "We sure did. Maybe this time we won't gain it back."
"That's right. This time we'll get skinny. The other girls will be so jealous of us then."
"Right!"
They set out again, though they didn't have any better luck finding anything. "I hope we don't run into any more of Mr. Pryde's traps. We'd never be able to get out like this," Prudence said.
They didn't say anything for a while. Molly didn't fall back to sleep, but even she seemed to sense there was no point in talking. They were lost. Three little kids lost in an enormous forest. Before long it would be dark. Rebecca didn't want to have to face that darkness in these woods as a toddler and while caring for a baby. The dark had scared her enough the last time she was a toddler and that had been in the dormitory without a baby to watch.
"Look over there!" she shouted.
"What?"
"It's Mr. Pryde's house!"
They had gotten so lost that they'd wound up on the other side of the island. Molly and Prudence whimpered at the same time at the sight of the old house's ruins. "It'll be fine," Rebecca said. "It's just a little smelly up top. Downstairs is OK."
"Downstairs?"
"In the cellar. That's where Samantha got your dress. There are all kinds of pretty clothes down there."
Rebecca led the way, remembering what Samantha had done earlier. The big problem was she couldn't open the cellar door, not with Molly in her arms. Even without Molly her tiny muscles probably couldn't manage it. "The cellar is down there."
It took Prudence three tries to open the door. She had to grunt and strain herself until Rebecca thought she would pass out. On the third try, Prudence finally got the door open enough that it collapsed backwards.
"Be careful of the stairs."
"I will," Prudence snapped.
Rebecca followed her down, keeping a tight grasp on Molly. The baby began to scream as they descended into the darkness. "It'll be fine," Rebecca whispered. "No one will hurt us down here."
"I can't see anything!" Prudence whined.
"There should be a shelf with some matches and a candle," Rebecca said. "It's by the door." Rebecca would have tried to find the shelf herself, but she couldn't with Molly in her arms. She was probably too short now anyway. She had to stifle a sob of her own as she thought of just how weak and helpless she had become. Yet she had at least gotten them this far. That had to mean something.