s, while of the box of matches and the bag of powder only a few
smouldering fragments remained--a round hole burned in the grass near
telling, if further proof were needed, that in his eagerness to start
the salute, Master Teddy, impatient as usual, had struck a light to
ignite the train, and this, accidentally communicating with the bag of
powder, had resulted in a grand flare-up of the whole contents.

This could be readily reasoned out at a glance; but, where could Teddy
be, the striker of the match, the inceptor of all the mischief?

Jupp could not imagine; hunt high, hunt low, as he might and did.

At first, he thought that the young iconoclast, as nothing could be
perceived of him on the lawn or flower-beds, had been blown up in the
air over the laurel hedge and into the lane; as, however, nothing could
be discovered of him here, either, after the most careful search, this
theory had to be abandoned, and Jupp was fairly puzzled.

Teddy had completely vanished!

It was very strange, for his sisters had seen him on the spot the moment
before the explosion.

Mary, of course, had followed Jupp round to the front of the house,
while the little girls came out on to the lawn; and Molly the cook, as
well as Joe the gardener, attracted by the commotion, had also been
assisting in the quest for the missing Teddy, prying into every hole and
corner.

But all their exertions were in vain; and there they stood in wondering
astonishment.

"P'aps," suggested Cissy, "he's done upstairs?"

"Nonsense, child!" said Conny decisively; "we would have seen him from
the window if he had come in."

"Still, we'd better look, miss," observed Mary, who was all pale and
trembling with anxiety as to the safety of her special charge. "He may
have been frightened and rushed to the nursery to hide himself, as he
has done before when he has been up to something!"

So saying, she hurried into the passage, and the rest after her.

It was of no use looking into the drawing-room or kitchen, the little
girls having been in the former apartment all the time, and Molly in the
latter; but the parlour was investigated unsuccessfully, and every nook
and cranny of the study, a favourite play-ground of the children when
the vicar was out, as he happened to be this evening, fortunately or
unfortunately as the case might be, visiting the poor of his parish.

Still, there was not a trace of Teddy to be found.

The search was then continued upstai