it.'

Before the boys finished their meal the threatened storm broke. There
was a tremendous downpour of rain, thundering on the roof and lashing
the windows.

'I'd just as lieve be agen this kiln-fire as out in that,' remarked the
Raven. 'Seems to me we'll put up here to-night.'

'I dare say he'll let us turn in on his hay, or something like that,'
said Dick. 'We'll ask him when he comes back.' For the miller had
gone again to the house in his anxiety to see how his grandchild was
getting on.

Chippy turned the shorts, which had been put in the best drying-place,
and felt them.

'They'll be dry in no time now,' he said, and returned to the jug for
the final cup of tea which it contained.

'At the rate we're going on,' laughed Dick, 'we could stop out a month
on our ten shillings, Chippy.'

'It 'ud suit me proper,' said the Raven, cutting his bread against his
thumb with his jack-knife. The miller had brought them knives from the
house, but the scouts preferred to use their own.

The old man was gone a long while, and when he returned Dick had got
into his shorts and dry things, and was himself again.

'Ah!' said the miller, 'now p'raps ye'll step across to the house. My
missis do want to see ye an' thank ye.'

The scouts did not look very happy over this, for they both hated any
fuss. But when they got into the big kitchen they found it was all
right. The miller's wife was not a fussy person at all, and they were
at home with the old lady in a minute. The little girl was sitting
beside the fire in a big chair. She looked very pale, but was quite
herself again.

''Tis a new thing to her, you see,' explained the miller's wife.
'She's my son's child, and lives over to Baildon, forty mile away. I
don't know as ever she'd seen the race a-runnin' afore--leastways, from
the bridge.'

'It made my head swing,' put in the child.

'Ay, it turned her head all swimmy like,' said the miller. 'Well, it's
a merciful providence there wor' brave hearts at hand to save ye.
Now,' he went on to the scouts, 'I can see by yer knapsacks an' sticks
as ye be on a sort o' journey through the land.'

'Yes, we're on a scouting tramp,' said Dick.

'Ah!' said the miller, and rubbed his ear.

Dick saw he did not quite understand, and he entered on a short
explanation of their movements.

'Walkin' from place to place, be ye?' said the old lady. 'Then ye must
stay wi' us to-night, an' I'll see ye have a good bed.'