his head by looking at the matter as George did. It was ridiculous.

But the more he thought of it, the more sorry he felt that he had met
George Purvis.

CHAPTER XXIX.

ONCE MORE IN THE WOODS.

"Harry," said Kate, the next day after this meeting, "when are you going
to get your gun back?"

"Get my gun back!" exclaimed Harry. "How am I to do that?"

"Why, there's money enough," answered Kate. "You only lent your
gun-money to Aunt Matilda's fund. Take out enough, and get your gun
back."

"That sounds very well," said Harry; "but we haven't so much money,
after all. The interest on what we have won't begin to support Aunt
Matilda, and we really ought not to break in on the principal."

Kate did not immediately answer. She thought for a while and then she
said:

"Well, that's what I call talking nonsense. You must have heard some one
say something like that. You never got it out of your own head."

"It may not have come out of my own head," said Harry, who had not told
Kate of his meeting with George Purvis, "but it is true, for all that.
It seems to me that whatever we do seems all right at first, and then
fizzles out. This telegraph business has done that, straight along."

"No, it hasn't," said Kate, with some warmth. "It's turned out
first-rate. I think that interest idea is all stuff. As if we wanted to
set up Aunt Matilda with an income that would last forever! Here comes
father. I'm going to ask him about the gun."

When Mr. Loudon had had the matter laid before him, he expressed his
opinion without any hesitation.

"I think, Harry," said he, "that you certainly ought to go and get your
gun."

And Harry went and got it.

The rest of that day, which was Saturday, was delightful, both to Harry
and Kate. Harry cleaned and polished up his gun, and Kate sat and
watched him. It seemed like old times. During those telegraphic days,
when they were all thinking of business and making money, they seemed to
have grown old.

But all that was over now, and they were a girl and a boy again. Late in
the afternoon, Harry went out and shot half-a-dozen partridges, which
were cooked for supper, and Mrs. Loudon said that that seemed like the
good old style of things. She had feared that they were never going to
have any more game on their table.

On the following Wednesday there was a half-holiday, and Harry was about
to start off with his gun, when he proposed that Kate should go with
him.

"But you'r