visit, and after a moment seemed unaware of her presence.
At length he raised the cup to his lips, and finding it empty set it
down and rose to go back to his work. Humility interfered and
reminded him of a call to be paid at one of the upland farms.
The children might go too, she suggested. It would be very little
distance out of Honoria's way.

Mr. Raymond sighed, but went for his walking-stick; and they set out.

When they reached the farmhouse he left the children outside.
The town-place was admirably suited for a game of "Follow-my-leader,"
which they played for twenty minutes with great seriousness, to the
disgust of the roosting poultry. Then Taffy spied a niche, high up,
where a slice had been cut out of a last year's haystack. He fetched
a ladder. Up they climbed, drew the ladder after them, and played at
being Outlaws in a Cave, until the dusk fell.

Still Mr. Raymond lingered indoors. "He thinks we have gone home,"
said Honoria. "Now the thing would be to creep down and steal one of
the fowls, and bring it back and cook it."

"We can make believe to do it," Taffy suggested.

Honoria considered for a moment. "I'll tell you what: there's a
great Bryanite meeting to-night, down at the Chapel. I expect
there'll be a devil hunt."

"What's that?"

"They turn out the lights and hunt for him in the dark."

"But he isn't _really_ there?"

"I don't know. Suppose we play at scouts and creep down the road?
If the Chapel is lit up we can spy in on them; and then you can
squeeze your nose on the glass and make a face, while I say 'Boo!'
and they'll think the Old Gentleman is really come."

They stole down the ladder and out of the town-place. The Chapel
stood three-quarters of a mile away, on a turfed wastrel where two
high roads met and crossed.

Long before they reached it they heard clamorous voices and groans.

"I expect the devil hunt has begun," said Honoria. But when they
came in sight of the building its windows were brightly lit.
The noise inside was terrific.

The two children approached it with all the precaution proper to
scouts. Suddenly the clamour ceased and the evening fell so silent
that Taffy heard the note of an owl away in the Tredinnis plantations
to his left. This silence was daunting, but they crept on and soon
were standing in the illuminated ring of furze whins which surrounded
the Chapel.

"Can you reach up to look in?"

Taffy could not; so Honoria obligingly went