tartled I was when suddenly I felt something lick my hand, which was
hanging down at my side. I opened my eyes and jumped up. There stood
beside me a great big dog--a dog I had never seen before, looking up at
me with his gentle, soft eyes, while on the ground at my feet was my
lost basket! I was so delighted that I couldn't feel frightened,
besides, who could have been frightened of such a dear, kind-looking
dog? I threw my arms round his neck and hugged him, and told him he was
a darling to have found my basket, and for a minute or two I really
thought to myself he must be a sort of fairy--he seemed to have come so
wonderful-like, all of a sudden. Just then I heard voices coming along
the road. I ran to the gate to see who it was, and there, to my joy,
was grandmother, and beside her a neighbour of hers, a gamekeeper I had
seen now and then. I had my basket on my arm and the big doggie stood
beside me."

[Illustration: "I had my basket on my arm and the big doggie stood
beside me."]

CHAPTER II.

HOODIE GOES IN SEARCH OF A GRANDMOTHER.

"I care for nobody, no, not I,
And nobody cares for me!"

Martin went on with her story:

"'Janie!' cried grandmother when she saw me. 'What a nice picture they
make--my little granddaughter and your great dog--don't they?' she said
to the gamekeeper.

"'And it was _your_ basket, little Janie, that he found at the stile,
then,' said the dog's master, and then he and grandmother explained,
that walking along the road--grandmother was going up with him to see
his wife who was ill--the dog who was following them had suddenly darted
to one side and then crept from under the hedge with the basket in his
mouth. They couldn't think whose it was, for no one was to be seen
about, but when grandmother started to come home again the dog would
follow her with it still in his mouth, so Roberts, that was the man's
name, came along with her to see the end of it. Now wasn't it clever of
the dog to know it was mine and bring it to me like that?"

"_Very_," said the children. "But mightn't your grandmother have known
it was your mother's basket?" said Magdalen.

"It was a common enough one, but if she had looked inside she'd have
known mother's butter and cake, I daresay," said Martin. "But the funny
thing was, the dog would let no one touch it but me--he growled at
grandmother when she tried to look in, but he stood by and saw me take
out the things and just wagged his tail.