sure this did just
upset us all, and no mistake. I was out in the stable-yard in a moment,
and there was Prince sure enough, and all the servants round him; and
they had got a stable bucket with some corn in it, and he was devouring
it as though he had been starved for a week. `And where's your master,
Prince?' I said. The poor animal only whinnied, but seemed almost as
if he understood my question. As for Harry, who had joined me in the
yard, he could only blubber out, `Eh! he's done for, sure enough.
They've been and gone and murdered him, and haven't had even the good
feeling to send us back his lifeless corpse. Whatever shall we do?'
`Nay, Harry,' I said, `it hasn't come to that yet; we must go and look
after him, and bring him back; he'll turn up all right, I
daresay.'--`The Lord grant it,' said the dear old man.

"Well, you may be sure we were all in a pretty state, and at our wits'
end what to do. Father set off at once for the police station, and
Harry and I started at the same time for Marley Heath."

Here Miss Huntingdon interposed, and said, "And I ought to tell you,
dear Amos, that when your father was feeling a little anxious about
Walter's going, lest he too should fall into some snare or difficulty,
your brother would not hear of any one else taking his place, and rushed
away saying, `It would be a privilege to suffer anything for such a
brother as Amos.'"

"Auntie, auntie!" cried her nephew remonstratingly, "you mustn't tell
secrets; I never meant Amos to know anything about that."

There was a brief silence, for all the party were deeply moved, and the
two brothers clasped hands eagerly and lovingly. Then Walter continued:
"So Harry took the old mare, and I took my pony, and we set off soon
after breakfast, and got in a little time to Marley Heath; and I can't
say I felt very warm to the place, and certainly it didn't _look_ very
warm to me. `What's to come next?' I said to Harry. `Well,' he said,
`we must make inquiries.' That was all easy enough to say, but who were
we to make inquiries of? The only living thing about was an old donkey
who had strayed on to the heath, and was trying to get a mouthful of
something off a bare patch or two; and as we came up he stared at us as
though he thought that we were bigger donkeys than he was for coming to
such a place at such a time. It wasn't much use looking about, for
there was nothing to guide us. We tried to track your pony's footmarks,