d not look back. Sidney marched boldly away, believing that he
had done a very smart thing, but the other boys felt less comfortable.

They had been angry with her, and they had wished to see her punished,
but they could not help thinking that she was a little girl, and they
were leaving her alone in the woods!

Jack Tiverton was, by far, the most uneasy.

He was the smallest of the party, and, while he had asked Sidney to let
Floretta go, he had known it was useless to do more.

The eight other boys were stronger than he, and any attempt upon his
part to free her would be worse than useless. They would not listen, but
instead, would pounce upon him.

The other boys talked, laughed, and whistled, to imply that they were
not thinking of what they had done, but all the way back to the
Cleverton, little Jack was wondering what he could do.

He dared not go straight to Floretta's mother, and tell her of her
little girl's plight.

He knew if he did that, the boys would soon learn who had played
"tell-tale," and then,--what would they do to _him_?

And yet, he was determined, in some way, to help Floretta.

How could he let a little girl stay out there in the woods all night?

Of course some one, walking through the woods might find her, but if no
one happened to?

Jack knew that the risk was too great. It was just before he reached the
Cleverton, that he thought of the best way that he could do it.

He would write a note to Mrs. Paxton. He would drop that note into the
mail box that hung at the side door. The letters were always distributed
at four, and Sidney Cumston, who had a fine watch, had just said that it
was three. He left the boys at the entrance to the Merlington, and
hurried on that he might have plenty of time for his note.

Mrs. Tiverton was out driving with a friend, and Jack had quite a hunt
before he could find pencil or paper for his note.

At last he found a blank book, and with a pencil he wrote this note.

"Deer Mrs. Paxton:--

"Yor litle girl is tied up in the woods opsite the
hermits hut. You better go get her real quick or
somethin may happen too her.

"Yors trooly."

He folded it, and, in place of the envelope that he could not find, he
tied around it a bit of string that he found in his pocket.

Boldly he addressed it, in very large letters, and sneaking down the
stairway, and around on the piazza