Part 55 (2/2)

At last one word escaped from his lips, and in an instant--_throb, throb, throb, throb_--there was a heavy beating on his ribs, a joyous whining sound greeted his ears, and a cold nose and wet tongue were playing about his face.

”Oh, Grip! Grip! Grip!” he sobbed out at last, half hysterical with excitement; and seizing the dog by the neck he held him fast, while Grip burst now into a frantic paroxysm of barking.

”You good old dog, then you have found us,” cried Gwyn, as he sat up now and held on tightly to the dog's collar, for fear he should be left again. ”Why, there must be someone with him! Here, Grip, Grip, old chap, your master! Where is he, then?”

There was another frantic burst of barking, and Joe's voice was heard out of the darkness.

”What's that? What does it mean? Hi! Ydoll, are you there?”

”Yes, yes. Here's Grip! And--and--they must be--Oh, Joe, Joe, I can't--”

What it was that Gwyn Pendarve could not do was never heard, for he pressed his lips together and clenched his teeth to keep back all sound.

He had no longer any control over himself, and in those anguished moments he felt, as he afterwards declared to himself, that he was acting like a girl.

Joe was nearly as bad, but it was in the darkness and there was no one to witness their emotion, as he too kept silence, fearing to hear even his own voice; so that Grip had the whole of the conversation to himself--a repet.i.tion that at another time would have been monotonous, but which now sounded musical in the extreme.

At last Gwyn recovered his equanimity to some extent, and, taking out the matches, struck one, but the moisture of his fingers prevented it from igniting, and he had to try two more before he could get anything but soft phosph.o.r.escent streaks on the box; and as the damp matches were thrown down, Grip sniffed at them and whined loudly.

Then one flashed out brilliantly, lighting up the darkness, was watched excitedly, and began to blaze up and transfer its illuminating powers to the one candle the boys had left, one which was directly after safely sheltered by the gla.s.s of the lanthorn.

At this point the joy of the dog was unbounded, and was shown in leaps, bounds and frantic barking, accompanied by rushes and sham worryings of his master's legs; and when driven off, he favoured Joe in the same way.

”Only to think of it,” cried Joe, ”that dog following us and running us down in the dark! How could he have done it? I never heard that dogs could see in the dark like cats.”

”They can't,” said Gwyn, going down on his knees to give the dog a hug.

”A jolly old chap--they see with their noses; don't you, old Grip?”

”_Whuf_!” cried the dog; and he made a frantic effort to lick his master's face.

”It's wonderful!” cried Joe, excitedly.

”Yes, makes a fellow wish he had a nose like a dog. Why, Jolly, we could have found our way out, then.”

”Don't see it,” said Joe, who was in a peculiarly excited state, which made him ready to laugh or cry at the slightest provocation.

”Don't see it! Of course you don't. Couldn't we have smelt our way out by our own track, same as he did? But bother all that. Why, Jolly, if I could only feel sure that the dads were safe out, I shouldn't care a bit.”

”No; I shouldn't either. Oh, I say, isn't it a relief?”

”Yes, and so I feel all right. They're out: I'm sure of it.”

”How do you know?”

”By Grip being here.”

”That doesn't prove it.”

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