e him in.

She opened the door cautiously and went out into the passage. The
barking was not heard so distinctly here, and she hoped that no one
would hear it but herself. How dreadful if somebody should go and beat
him away before she could reach him! She pattered down-stairs with her
little bare feet and made her way through the darkness to the great hall
door. But she had forgotten how great and heavy that door was, and had
not thought of the chain that hung across it at night, and the big lock
in which she could not turn the key. Scamp heard her trying to open the
door, and barked more joyfully. Unable to unfasten this door she made
her way to another at the back of the house, and, withdrawing a bolt,
she stood in the doorway, her little white night-dress blowing in the
winter's night air, and her bare feet on the stones of the threshold.

"Scamp, Scamp!" she called in a soft voice, and, wonderful to tell, he
heard her and came flying round the house.

"Oh, Scampie, dear, _have_ you come, and do you really love me still?"
whispered Hetty as the dog leaped into her arms, and she clasped his
paws round her neck and kissed his shaggy head.

Scamp uttered a few short rapturous exclamations and licked her face and
hands all over.

"But you must be very quiet," she said, "or you will wake the house and
we shall be caught. Come now, lovie, and I'll hide you in my own room."

She closed the door as quietly as possible and crept upstairs again,
carrying the dog hugged in her arms.

As she stole along the passage to her room, one of the maids whispered
to another who was sleeping in the room with her:

"Oh, I have heard a great noise down-stairs, and one of the dogs was
barking. And just now I am sure I heard feet in the passage."

"Some one has got into the house then," said the other maid listening.

"Oh, lie still, don't get up!" said the first maid. "It must be
burglars."

"I will go and waken the men," said the other courageously. And
down-stairs she went and wakened the butler and footman. Soon they were
all searching the house, the butler armed with a gun, the others with
large pokers. No burglars were to be found, and the butler was very
cross at having been called out of his bed for nothing at all.

The maids persisted that some one had been in the house, some one who
must have escaped while they were giving the alarm. Mr. Enderby heard
the noise and came out of his room and learned the whole story. Afte