half how good a place Guilford is, Mr.
Stubbs."

The monkey chattered away as if he were anticipating lots of fun on his
arrival at Toby's home, and the boy chattered back, his spirits rising
at every step which took him farther away from the collection of tents
where he had spent so many wretched hours.

A brisk walk of half an hour sufficed to take Toby to the woods, and
after some little search he found a thick clump of bushes in which he
concluded he could sleep without the risk of being seen by anyone who
might pass that way before he should be awake in the morning.

He had not much choice in the way of a bed, for it was so dark in the
woods that it was impossible to collect moss or leaves to make a soft
resting place, and the few leaves and pine boughs which he did gather
made his place for sleeping but very little softer.

But during the ten weeks that Toby had been with the circus his bed had
seldom been anything softer than the seat of the wagon, and it troubled
him very little that he was to sleep with nothing but a few leaves
between himself and the earth.

Using the bundle in which was his riding costume for a pillow, and
placing the lunch Mrs. Treat had given him near by, where the monkey
could not get at it conveniently, he cuddled Mr. Stubbs up to his bosom
and lay down to sleep.

"Mr. Lord won't wake us up in the mornin' an' swear at us for not
washin' the tumblers," said Toby, in a tone of satisfaction, to the
monkey; "an' we won't have to go into the tent tomorrow an' sell sick
lemonade an' poor peanuts. But"--and here his tone changed to one of
sorrow--"there'll be some there that 'll be sorry not to see us in the
mornin', Mr. Stubbs, though they'll be glad to know that we got away all
right. But won't Mr. Lord swear, an' won't Mr. Castle crack his whip,
when they come to look round for us in the mornin' an' find that we
hain't there!"

The reply which the monkey made to this was to nestle his head closer
under Toby's coat, and to show, in the most decided manner, that he was
ready to go to sleep.

And Toby was quite as ready to go to sleep as he was. He had worked
hard that day, but the excitement of escaping had prevented him from
realizing his fatigue until after he had lain down; and almost before he
had got through congratulating himself upon the ease with which he had
gotten free both he and the monkey were as sound asleep as if they had
been tucked up in the softest bed that was ever