The dignified old servant now brought in the letters from the morning
mails. The first that the princess opened was in an unfamiliar hand.
A cloud of sadness came over her, as a friend long in heaven was
recalled to her mind. The colonel had written, not to renew the sorrow
of the princess by reminding her of his lovely wife, but to say that he
had accidentally heard of Nono's departure, without credentials or
recommendations of any kind to insure her confidence. The letter
guaranteed the truthfulness and honesty of the boy, and contained warm
words in favour of the family at the golden house.

The good princess was glad to be acquitted of rashness in her promise,
and was once more encouraged to love and to trust, and to give freely
out of her abundance.

Little Nono had started cheerily on his homeward journey, grateful at
heart. He was hopeful as to finding Blackie at the house where he had
been assured his pet would be awaiting his return from the palace.
Nono was met there by rude answers to his eager inquiries, and was told
that no one had seen anything of a little black pig, nor did any one on
those premises wish to see anything more of a little dark boy full of
impudent questions. There was a sweep of meadows about the house, and
no other dwelling was near the spot.

Nono could but disconsolately begin again his homeward walk, and try to
forget his pet in the thought of the future opening before little
Decima. He betook himself to the highroad, and trudged along as
cheerily as he could. Drops of blood on the snow suddenly arrested his
attention. They formed a regular line leading into the far distance,
where a familiar black object was getting over the ground at a
marvellous rate. It must be Blackie! Nono gave a long whistle by
which he was accustomed to call his four-footed friend. The black
object stopped. The whistle was repeated, and in a few moments the
little pig was awkwardly capering about his master, almost tying his
tail into knots, as it was twisted round and round as an expression of
delight.

Blackie had evidently escaped from confinement and uncongenial society.
Where he had been, of course he could not tell. His poor nose was
sadly torn where the ring had been wrenched away as he broke loose from
his imprisonment. Nono was glad that Blackie had lost his badge of
servitude; and as to needing a rope to be led by, the poor creature was
willing enough to follow Nono wherever he might