Part 14 (1/2)

”Oh, don't, erly; ”perhaps it's a black-fellow”

”Nonsense, darling,” Mrs Orban said ”You can stay here with Eustace and Nesta if you like, but of course Iwith mother,” said Eustace sturdily

”So ao,” said Mrs Orban cheerily; ”and I am quite sure Mary will think us e they went, Peter treht into Mrs Orban's rooot there, there was no one to be seen--not even Mary turning down the beds

On they went into the boys' roohtened to yell till he reached the dining-room, and Sandy had not been roused

”There, you see,” said Mrs Orban; ”what did I tell you? There are far too many of us in the house now for any one to dare to co Peter, and Mary and Kate certainly did look surprised

”Master Peter has been having a nightmare,” Mrs Orban explained, ”and I want to reassure him Were you in my room just now, Mary?”

”No, ma'am,” Mary said; ”I haven't been there since dinner”

”Oh, well, then, he ,” Mrs Orban said, still in the sah the house and show hiht, and then I will sit by hiain”

Eustace took a lantern, and on they all went right through the house, very naturally finding no one Robertson, as s on the veranda, declared that no one had been up or down the steps since he had been out, and Mrs Robertson, as in her bedroo the baby to sleep, said no one had been that way either

After all of which Eustace and Nesta began to breathe freely; but, to tell the truth, at first they had both been a good deal scared by Peter's announce all this show of bravery for Peter's and their sakes, for another visit from the thief was not at all unlikely

But when Robertson laughed at the notion of any one having been able to pass him unseen where he stood near the veranda steps, when every nook and cranny had been looked into and no one was forthco to prove Peter's tale, every one was certain he had had a bad drealy ”Of course there are always noises in the house”

”But this was a big noise,” Peter objected; ”soed”

”Why didn't you say that before?” said Eustace with superiority; then added, out of the vastness of his recent experience, ”nobody ever bangs when they want to rob a house; they try to be as silent asfor any one to steal now, since we keep all our things hidden away”

This was a rule Mrs Orban hadof value must be put away under lock and key She had no fancy to be perpetually paying away rewards for recovered goods She believed Sinku people to do these little pilferings just in order to obtain the rewards Disagreeable as was the idea, it frightened her far less than the thought of genuine black-fellows lurking about the place; they were really dangerous, cruel, and lawless

Mrs Orban took Peter back with her into the dining-room, and he sat cuddled up on her knee while she finished dinner

They were all sitting listening to just one ”good-night” story before going to bed, when Mary calance round, and exclaiot Miss Becky here? I ht she looked rather white and queer

”Did you, Mary?” asked Mrs Orban rather hurriedly ”Why?”