e had kept to the edge of the cliff,
where the way was clear, for he seemed to have left the world behind
him. There was something uncanny in the dead silence, and he quite
startled when a rabbit jumped across his path into a hole. But the next
moment, boy-like, he wished he had had the dogs with him that he might
give chase.

(_Continued on page 30._)

[Illustration: "Alan paused to look back."]

[Illustration: "Just then a man on horseback appeared."]

FORGETFUL FANNY

'Now I will tie you to the garden gate, and pretend I have put my horse
in the stable,' Fanny said to her little brother Dick, with whom she had
been playing horses until she was hot and tired.

Her mother had gone to the market town, and would not be home until the
evening, and so Fanny was left in charge of her brother.

Dick thought it was rather interesting to be tied up in a stable, and so
he was quite happy when Fanny said that she wanted to run down the road
to see her friend, Dora Barnes, for a few minutes.

At first Dick pretended to eat oats out of a manger; then he thought he
would lie down and sleep. But that was dull, so he got up and pranced
and kicked with impatience; and presently the time began to drag more
and more slowly, and he wondered when Fanny would come back again.

'These knots are so tight, I cannot undo them, and I am so tired of
playing at being a horse tied up in a stable,' he said sadly to himself.

After a time he gave up trying to pretend, but curled himself up and
fell fast asleep. And still his sister did not come; but somebody else
did.

In the meantime, Fanny had found her friend, and had heard the splendid
news that a circus was just going to pass through the village.

This was enough to drive everything else out of Fanny's head. The two
little girls started off to see the fun, and poor Dick was quite
forgotten.

There were ladies riding in golden cars, and little piebald ponies, and
an elephant, and all kinds of marvellous sights. Fanny and Dora followed
the procession to the field in which the tent was to be put up, and it
was growing late before they thought of setting out for home.

Then there suddenly came into Fanny's mind the remembrance of the little
boy she had left fastened to the gate.

'I forgot all about him,' she said to Dora. 'I do hope he is all right.'

But when they reached the cottage, no Dick was to be seen!

'Perhaps he managed to untie the cords, and is in the house,