He stopped mopping up the water to say: 'By this the storm grew loud apace, The water-rats were shrieking, And in the howl of Heaven each face Grew black as they were speaking.' Our faces were black, and our hands too, but we did not take any notice; we only told him not to gas but to go on mopping.

And he did.

And we all did.
But more and more water came pouring down.

You would not believe so much could come off one roof.
When at last it was agreed that Mrs Pettigrew must be awakened at all hazards, we went and woke Alice to do the fatal errand.
When she came back, with Mrs Pettigrew in a nightcap and red flannel petticoat, we held our breath.
But Mrs Pettigrew did not even say, 'What on earth have you children been up to NOW ?' as Oswald had feared.
She simply sat down on my bed and said-- 'Oh, dear! oh, dear! oh, dear!' ever so many times.
Then Denny said, 'I once saw holes in a cottage roof.

The man told me it was done when the water came through the thatch.