omething too about "Friends to the people and foes beware";
but what startled Johnny the most was that he knew his father's voice in
the shout, and for one moment saw the light of a lantern fall across a
face that could belong to no one else but his father. It could hardly
be told whether, as he lay trembling there, the sight made him the more
dislike his expedition, or the sound of those cries the more anxious to
bring protection to his friends at Greenhow. Anyway, he had given his
word to his aunt, and he must go through with it, and he fancied that he
could get to Minsterham before the keepers of late hours were shut up
for the night, and might return again to see how things were going, and
get excused by his cousin.

Not till the shouts had died away in the distance did he venture out,
and plodded once more into the darkness, under overhanging trees,
meeting nothing, except one carriage, whose bright lamps came on like
two fiery eyes, glowing more and more as they came nearer, and the black
shadow of horses, driver, and close carriage rushed by, and left him
again, deciding that it must be the doctor's chariot. Then came another
long long spell, so long that he thought it must be near morning, and
was surprised to hear behind him in the frosty air the church clock at
Poppleby striking far too many strokes, and what he hoped had been one
turned into either eleven or twelve! He hoped it was twelve.

There were the branching roads, and it was far too dark to read the
sign-post, so that he could only take the one that seemed to him the
most likely; but when he had gone what might be any distance on the
road, it seemed to get narrower and rougher than he expected, and then
came an opening as if on to a common, such as he was sure did not exist
on the way to Minsterham. He must have got upon the Elchester road, and
there was nothing for it but to turn back. However, there was a pale
brightness showing in the sky, and the moon came up, an old moon without
very much light in her, but she was a great comfort to him, and told him
how the night was going.

On and on, and then there was a sound of trampling of horses and of
wheels coming nearer, great light eyes growing larger and larger, and
the mail-coach flashed and thundered by with the four horses, and
presently, far-away he could hear the guard's horn announcing the
approach to a wayside inn where the horses were changed; but by the time
Johnnie had made his weary