she touched each flower first with her lips, and
then brushed it lightly across her bosom before she wove it in. She
had kept her eyes on me as she did it, looking up from under her
brows, as if to see whether I knew what she was about.

"I don't doubt now but that she was bewitching Florrie by this curious
performance, which every flower had to undergo separately; but, fool
that I was, I thought nothing of it at the time, and bicycled off to
Salisbury leaving them there.

"At noon my poor wife came to me at the Bank distracted with anxiety
and fatigue. She had run most of the way, she gave me to understand.
Her news was that Florrie and Bran could not be found anywhere. She
said that she had gone to the gate of the meadow to call the child in,
and not seeing her, or getting any answer, she had gone down to the
river at the bottom. Here she had found a few picked wild flowers, but
no other traces. There were no footprints in the mud, either of child
or dog. Having spent the morning with some of the neighbours in a
fruitless search, she had now come to me.

"My heart was like lead, and shame prevented me from telling her the
truth as I was sure it must be. But my own conviction of it clogged
all my efforts. Of what avail could it be to inform the police or
organise search-parties, knowing what I knew only too well? However, I
did put Gulliver in communication with the head-office in Sarum, and
everything possible was done. We explored a circuit of six miles about
Wishford; every fold of the hills, every spinney, every hedgerow was
thoroughly examined. But that first night of grief had broken down my
shame: I told my wife the whole truth in the presence of Reverend
Richard Walsh, the Congregational minister, and in spite of her
absolute incredulity, and, I may add, scorn, next morning I repeated
it to Chief Inspector Notcutt of Salisbury. Particulars got into the
local papers by the following Saturday; and next I had to face the
ordeal of the _Daily Chronicle_, _Daily News_, _Daily Graphic_,
_Star_, and other London journals. Most of these newspapers sent
representatives to lodge in the village, many of them with
photographic cameras. All this hateful notoriety I had brought upon
myself, and did my best to bear like the humble, contrite Christian
which I hope I may say I have become. We found no trace of our dear
one, and never have to this day. Bran, too, had completely vanished. I
have not cared to keep a dog since.