wer; and Pan plodded on in silence, wondering whether his
young master would always be so quiet and strange.

"What's that?" said Sydney suddenly.

"Rabbud."

The two lads stood listening to the rapid run of feet through the
rustling fern, and then tramped on again through the darkness.

Sydney was having a hard fight the greater part of the time with his
thoughts, and try how he would, they seemed to be too much for him. In
fact, so great a hold did they get at last, that somewhere about three
o'clock he stopped short; but Pan went on with his head down till his
name was sharply pronounced, when he stopped short with a start.

"Why, I believe you were asleep."

"Was I, Master Syd?" said the boy, blankly looking about him. "I s'pose
'twas because I thought father was making me walk round and round the
garden all night for not cleaning the boots."

"Turn round--this way."

"Yes, Master Syd. Where are we going now?"

"Back again."

"Back--again?"

"Yes, to the Heronry."

"What for, sir?"

"Because I've been an idiot."

"But if we go back we shall be punished, Master Syd."

"Of course we shall. But if we go on we shall be punishing ourselves.
Oh," cried Sydney, in a voice full of rage against himself, "how could I
have been such a donkey!"

"It warn't my fault," said Pan, dolefully. "Father was after me with
the rope's-end. I was obliged to go. Let's try another way, Master
Syd."

"There is no other way," cried the boy passionately. "There's only one
way for us to go, and that's straight back home."

"Oh, there's lots of other ways, Master Syd."

"No, there are not. There's only one that we can tread."

"Which way's that, sir?"

"I told you--home."

"But I dursen't go back, Master Syd; I dursen't, indeed."

"Yes, you dare; and you shall too."

"Well, not till it's light, Master Syd. It do hurt so in the dark, and
you have no chance."

But Syd did not answer, only gave an involuntary shiver, and walked
slowly back over the ground they had covered during the night.

CHAPTER SIX.

A long tramp in silence; but they did not get over the ground very
rapidly, for Pan's pace grew slower and slower, and when urged by Sydney
to keep up he made no reply.

"Come along," said Syd at last; "do try and make haste."

"I arn't in a hurry," came in a surly growl.

"But I am. I want to get back before it's light; we don't want to be
seen."

"Don't matter whether we're seen or whether