in a very conciliating tone, low-spoken; and then,
as with a sudden thought, "Come over here, will you?"

I crossed the fence, and was in a moment at the side of Master Ned,
who looked exceedingly the worse for wear, in face, figure, and
clothes.

"Look here," said he, speaking rapidly, so as to prevent my touching
the subject of his return, "I want to sneak in, and up-stairs to bed,
without the old man seeing me. I don't just like to meet him till
to-morrow. But I can't sneak in, for the door's locked, and Noah would
be sure to tell dad. You knock, and when they let you in, pretend you
came to play with the kids; and whisper Fanny to slip out and open the
door for me."

I entered readily into the strategy, as a boy will, glad of Ned's
return for the sake of Phil, who I knew was ill at ease for Ned's
absence being in some sense due to himself.

Old Noah admitted me at my knock, locked the door after me, and sent
me into the smaller parlour, where the whole family happened to be.
When I whispered my message to Fanny, she turned so many colours, and
made so precipitately for the entrance hall, that her father was put
on the alert. He followed her quietly out, just in time to see a very
shivering, humble, shamefaced youth step in from the snowy outer
night. The sight of his father turned Ned cold and stiff upon the
threshold; but all the father did was to put on a grim look of
contempt, and say:

"Well, sir, I suppose you've changed your tune."

"Yes, sir," said the penitent, meekly, and there being now no reason
for secrecy he shambled after his father into the parlour. There,
after his mother's embrace, he grinned sheepishly upon us all. Fanny
was quite rejoiced, and so was little Tom till the novelty wore off;
while Madge greeted the prodigal good-humouredly enough, and one could
read Phil's relief and forgiveness on his smiling face. Master Ned,
grateful for an easier ordeal than he had feared, made no exception
against Phil in the somewhat sickly amiability he had for all, and we
thought that here were reconciliation and the assurance of future
peace.

Ned's home-coming brought trouble in its train, as indeed did his
every reappearance afterward. It came out that he and another boy--the
one in whose house he had found refuge on the night of his running
away--had started off for the North to lead the lives of hunters and
trappers, a career so inviting that they could not wait to provide a
sufficient equipment