However
early the hour might be in which a village boy peeped over the wall of
her garden, he always saw her white night-cap moving, and he knew that
her bright blue eyes would be on him, and he would be proclaimed a thief
all over the place before many minutes were over.

Moses, therefore, was very glad to secure his cherries by fair means, as
he could not obtain them by foul; and he went to bed and to sleep,
determined to be off on his errand with the dawn.

A very natural thing, however, happened. Moses, unaccustomed to getting
up at half-past three in the morning, never opened his eyes until the
church clock struck five. Then he started upright, rubbed and rubbed at
his sleepy orbs, tumbled into his clothes, and, softly opening the
cottage door, set off on his errand.

The fact of his being nearly an hour and a half late did not trouble him
in the least. In any case, he would get to Lavender House before six
o'clock, and would have consumed his cherries in less than an hour from
that date.

Moses sauntered gaily along the roads, whistling as he went, and
occasionally tossing his battered cap in the air. He often lingered on
his way, now to cut down a particularly tempting switch from the hedge,
now to hunt for a possible bird's nest. It was very nearly six o'clock
when he reached the back avenue, swung himself over the gate, which was
locked, and ran softly on the dewy grass in the direction of the laurel
bush. Old Betty had given him most careful instructions, and he was far
too sharp a lad to forget what was necessary for the obtaining of a quart
of cherries. He found his tree, and lay flat down on the ground in order
to pull out the basket. His fingers had just clasped the handle when
there came a sudden interruption--a rush, a growl, and some very sharp
teeth had inserted themselves into the back of his ragged jacket. Poor
Moses found himself, to his horror, in the clutches of a great mastiff.
The creature held him tight, and laid one heavy paw on him to prevent him
rising.

Under these circumstances, Moses thought it quite unnecessary to retain
any self-control. He shrieked, he screamed, he wriggled; his piercing
yells filled the air, and, fortunately for him, his being two hours too
late brought assistance to his aid. Michael, the gardener, and a strong
boy who helped him, rushed to the spot, and liberated the terrified lad,
who, after all, was only frightened, for Rover had satisfied himself with
tearin