at" in a way that made
their worthy host and hostess smile with pleasure, as well as to see the
faces that a few minutes before looked so worn, pale, and wretched,
brightening up under the treatment their complaint was receiving.

All at once Philip came to a stand-still, and said, "I wonder where
Harry is?"

"What! was he out with thee?" said the farmer and his wife.

"Yes," said Philip, "and he had got Dick with him."

"Ah!" said the farmer, "I don't know Dick. Who's he?"

"Why, our rough dog," said Philip; "the ratter."

"Oh, ah, ha!" said the farmer; "so he had Dick with him, had he?"

"Yes," said Philip, mournfully, and with another great sob creeping up
his throat.

"Theer, theer," said Mr Benson, "doan't do that, bairn. He's safe
enough if he's got that dog wi' him; he'd be sewer to find the way out
o' the wood."

This seemed to act as a kind of comfort to Philip, who resumed his meal,
but only to find out a new trouble directly after. "Where's my snake?"
he exclaimed, jumping up, and looking at the end of the rough stick he
had brought in with him. But nobody knew, so nobody replied to his
question; the snake was gone, for it had not been even remembered all
through the time of their bewilderment, and now that it was brought to
mind there was not even a trace of the whipcord.

"Now, my dears," said Mrs Benson, seeing that the lads had finished
their meal,--"now, my dears, I have had clean sheets put on the best
bed, so, if I was you, I should go and have a good rest."

But Mrs Benson's motherly ideas were put to the rout by the sound of
wheels and directly after a horse was pulled up at the gate. Some one
rapped at the door, and, upon its being opened, in rushed Dick, closely
followed by Mr Inglis, Harry, and Mr Benson's lad, Tom, who had not
gone far upon the road before he met the above party in search of the
lost ones. They had been making inquiries all down the road at every
cottage they passed, and it was during one of these stoppages that Tom
recognised Mr Inglis's voice, and brought him on to the farm.

The first act of Dick on entering the room was to leap upon Philip and
Fred, and bark as loudly as he could--scampering round the place, and at
last misbehaving so much that he had to be turned out, to stay outside
the door, howling, till his master was ready to start again.

Harry, who looked a perfect scarecrow, grinned with delight upon seeing
his lost companions found, while Mr Ing