rs, put on his hat, and went
out. As he did so, he heard the dubious, questioning kind of cough which
Mrs. Cameron was so fond of making--this cough was accompanied by
Scorpion's angry snarling little bark. The Doctor prayed inwardly for
patience as he hurried down the avenue in search of his family. He was
absolutely at a loss where to seek them.

"The broad meadow only leads to the high-road," he said to himself, "and
the high-road has many twists and turns. Surely the children cannot have
ventured on the moor; surely Polly cannot have been mad enough to try to
hide herself there."

It was a starlight night, and the Doctor walked quickly.

"I don't know where they are. I must simply let instinct guide me," he
said to himself; and after walking for three quarters of an hour
instinct did direct him to where, seated on a little patch of green turf
at one side of the king's highway, were three solitary and
disreputable-looking little figures.

"Father!" came convulsively from three little parched throats; there was
a volume in the cry, a tone of rapture, of longing, of pain, which was
almost indescribable. "Father's come back again, it's all right now,"
sobbed Firefly, and immediately the boys and the little girl had cuddled
up to him and were kissing him, each boy taking possession of a hand,
and Firefly clasping her arms round his neck.

"I know all about it, children," explained the Doctor. "But tell me
quickly, where are the others? where is Polly?"

"Oh, you darling father!" said Firefly, "you darling, you darling! let
me kiss you once again. There, now I'm happy!"

"But tell me where the others are, dear child."

"Just a little way off. We did get so tired, and Helen said that Polly
must have gone on the moor, and she said she must and would follow her."

"We were so tired," said Bunny.

"And there was a great nail running into my heel," explained Bob.

"So we sat down here, and tried to pretend we were gipsies," continued
Firefly. "The moon was shining, and that was a little wee bit of
comfort, but we didn't like it much. Father, it isn't much fun being a
gipsy, is it?"

"No, dear; but go on. How long is it since you parted from the others?"

"Half an hour; but it's all right. Bunny, you can tell that part."

Bunny puffed himself out, and tried to speak in his most important
manner.

"Nell gave me the dog-whistle," he said, "and I was to whistle it if it
was real necessary, not by no means else. I