Part 9 (2/2)

It seems that he found this place an inconvenient one, and had driven across the fields for about half, a mile, to some trees

Here he had taken his horses out, and allowed thee, and took a _siesta_ He overslept hi, he was horrified to find how much time had passed, and at once proceeded to search for the horses

But during his sleep they had both wandered off, and could not be found until after a long search When at length he was ready, and had driven back, he found to his horror that they were not there Thinking that they were still aone over the whole place, which took up still more time At last he saw that theythat they were on foot, he expected every ht of the any trace of theth cae of some other visitors, and had obtained seats in that He knew that they one, and could only account in that way for their rapid progress

This explanation of the driver was perfectly satisfactory to thereat that they excused his unfortunate sluotten all about his sulks, and was the sa about Bob's mishap, he at once assured the the road, and that they would undoubtedly soon catch up with hie, the driver whipped up the horses, and away they went towards Salerno

Mile after ns of Bob,

”So's happened,” said Clive

”He's been carried to the roaned Uncle Moses

”O, it's all right,” said Frank, confidently ”That donkey's a regular race-horse We'll find hith they reached Salerno They drove up to the hotel

No signs of Bob!

Hurrying in, they made inquiries, and found that he had not coreatest concern; and the driver, and the landlord, and all others who heard of it, asserted that he must have been carried to themore could be done; and so they could only resolve to drive back on the following day, and make a more careful search after the lost boy

CHAPTER X

_The captive Boy and his grisly Visitant--The Hand on his Head--Denoueand Faand Children--A Revolution of Feeling--The e--In Search of Bob_

Paralyzed with terror, dumb with horror, Bob layreached out her long, lean, thin, bony, withered, shrivelled hand, and took his hair, while with the other hand she raised her sharp weapon

She took his hair very lightly and tenderly; so lightly, indeed, that Bob was just conscious of her touch; and though he expected that he would be torn from his bed and struck dead the next instant, yet this fate was delayed

She took his hair then in her hand very gently and tenderly, and in her other hand she raised the sharp weapon

Now, the sharp weapon was a pair of sheep-shears

These shears she held forward, and with them she snipped off, as noiselessly as possible, a lock of Bob's hair

She pressed the lock of hair to her thin lips, looked at it steadfastly for some time, pressed it once more to her lips, and then put it in the folds of her dress

Then kneeling by Bob's side, she looked at hi and earnestly

She bent over him, and looked down upon him She laid the shears upon the floor, clasped her withered hands together, and gazed upon the boy He lay still His eyes were closed; but the delay of his fate and the snip of the shears in his hair bad roused him soh to see as going on He could not see the old wo, and he saw her thin hands clasped before her, like one in prayer, and tremulous

The old woman bent over him; and if Bob could have seen her face he would have known that this old creature was an object of any other feeling rather than fear Pale it was, that face that was over him, and wrinkled, and emaciated; but there was upon it a softened expression--an expression of yearning and of longing