icate with them that night, but it must be done first thing next
morning--as soon as the telegraph office should be open.

"How shall I face them?" cried nurse wildly, pushing cook and baby away
in her impatience.

Cook looked hurt. She had good-naturedly taken care of Eric all evening,
and been much diverted by his funny ways. She had offered the little
fellow to nurse with the best intentions in the world, thinking that
attending to his wants might distract her attention from her trouble.
But nurse was not to be consoled thus. She could think of nothing except
the calamity which had befallen the household in general, herself in
particular, and for the time being baby was of no importance in her
eyes; even the adoring Jenkins was forgotten! Nothing remained but her
own nervous terror and distress.

Next morning, as soon as it was daylight, Mr. Grey hastened down to
Firgrove to inquire if Perry had heard anything of the missing children.
She had not, and was in a most miserable frame of mind after an
anxious, sleepless night.

While she and Mr. Grey stood talking together, Tom Brook passed by on
his way to work at the farm, and seeing the two in conversation, joined
them. But he brought no comfort to their council with the tidings he had
to tell--not much at most, yet important as furnishing a possible clue
to the fate of the lost ones.

The previous forenoon some of his children at play beside the lock had
noticed Master Darby and Miss Joan down along the tow-path; but as they
were accustomed seeing the pair trotting about by themselves
continually, here, there, and everywhere, they paid no particular
attention to their movements.

"They didn't go to Copsley Wood after all, then," said Mr. Grey, looking
very grave, for his fears had been directed into a fresh channel.

"They've gone playing about the canal and fallen in!" cried nurse, with
a great outburst of tears. "Now they're drownded, dead drownded, both of
them! O my poor lambs! why did I let you out of my sight for one minute?
What will master say? O my dear, sweet mistress, this would never have
happened if you hadn't been tooken away from us!"

Miss Turner and Miss Alice were seated at breakfast in Grannie Dene's
pretty parlour, where the China roses, that were for all the world just
the colour of Joan's cheeks, peeped and nodded round the window. They
were chatting briskly with grannie, whom they had found much stronger,
and able easily to move about