as his tired legs
would take him toward a dark figure slowly approaching. Suddenly he
stopped, then turned about, and came stumbling back, screaming in a
great panic,

"No, it's a bear, a big black one!" and hid his face in Nan's skirts.

For a moment Nan quailed; ever her courage gave out at the thought of a
real bear, and she was about to turn and flee in great disorder, when a
mild "Moo!" changed her fear to merriment, as she said, laughing,

"It's a cow, Robby! the nice, black cow we saw this afternoon."

The cow seemed to feel that it was not just the thing to meet two
little people in her pasture after dark, and the amiable beast paused to
inquire into the case. She let them stroke her, and stood regarding them
with her soft eyes so mildly, that Nan, who feared no animal but a bear,
was fired with a desire to milk her.

"Silas taught me how; and berries and milk would be so nice," she said,
emptying the contents of her pail into her hat, and boldly beginning her
new task, while Rob stood by and repeated, at her command, the poem from
Mother Goose:

"Cushy cow, bonny, let down your milk,
Let down your milk to me,
And I will give you a gown of silk,
A gown of silk and a silver tee."

But the immortal rhyme had little effect, for the benevolent cow had
already been milked, and had only half a gill to give the thirsty
children.

"Shoo! get away! you are an old cross patch," cried Nan, ungratefully,
as she gave up the attempt in despair; and poor Molly walked on with a
gentle gurgle of surprise and reproof.

"Each can have a sip, and then we must take a walk. We shall go to sleep
if we don't; and lost people mustn't sleep. Don't you know how Hannah
Lee in the pretty story slept under the snow and died?"

"But there isn't any snow now, and it's nice and warm," said Rob, who
was not blessed with as lively a fancy as Nan.

"No matter, we will poke about a little, and call some more; and then,
if nobody comes, we will hide under the bushes, like Hop-'o-my-thumb and
his brothers."

It was a very short walk, however, for Rob was so sleepy he could not
get on, and tumbled down so often that Nan entirely lost patience, being
half distracted by the responsibility she had taken upon herself.

"If you tumble down again, I'll shake you," she said, lifting the poor
little man up very kindly as she spoke, for Nan's bark was much worse
than her bite.

"Please don't. It's my boots they keep slipp