heads to ramble in the woods two hours since, and have not come back. I think we had better eat our lunch and then all go on the search, taking different paths; don't you, Mademoiselle ?"

She looked round, but Mademoiselle was gone. Too anxious to wait for anything, she had started off ere they had perceived it.

"A search in the woods, what fun!"

"For shame! Mr. Kennedy; suppose the poor little things have lost themselves," said Lucy, who was really vexed, though impatient with the children's thoughtlessness.

"Well, we can soon find them. Come, Fred, let us eat our lunch as we go along. Do come with us, Miss Markham."

They all set off, Frederick following in the track taken by Mademoiselle, Charley and Lucy forcing their way through a narrower and more difficult one. Long brambles and hazel boughs every now and then came into their faces, and poor Lucy's muslin dress got sadly torn, but they pushed on, nevertheless, with good heart.

They had gone on for an hour like this, and as yet without discovering a trace of the missing children, when suddenly they came to a great clearance in the wood. There were no peasants at work there, and no trace of very recent hewings, but many large trunks lay on the ground, and loose branches, strewed hither

and thither, were quite overgrown with grass. Here the scene was grander and wilder than ever. The ground suddenly rose to great heights in all directions, and deep clefts everywhere showed the rocky nature of the soil. They had for some time lost both sight and sound of the river, but now, though still unseen, they could hear it brawling at no great distance.

"What a lonely, desolate spot," said Lucy, gathering some pink orchids; "shall we go

on ?"

"Yes, I think so, if you are not too tired. It is just possible we may be near some cottage where the children have rested; there are always cottages near the wood, you know, for the woodmen to live in. But let us sit and rest awhile first, I am sure you need it."

They rested for some minutes, and then pursued their way in the best pathway they could find, but it was hard work on such uneven ground. By-and-by the trees grew fewer and taller, the rocks more steep and broken, the sound of water below noisier still; at last they stood looking down upon it, and there, on a slab of dark rock, surrounded by wild waters and crags and over-arching trees, were the two children, Emily half sitting, half lying at Sylvine's feet, whilst the latter, stooping, wrapped her little mantle round her.

"Sylvine! Emily! Ho!"

With a wild scream of delight Sylvine rose to her feet.

..

"Oh! Mr. Kennedy, I am so glad. I thought we should never be found, and we have been, oh, so frightened."

"But you must be as fond of water as a pair of little water-ducks ever to have found such a place," shouted Charley; "wont you catch it !"

"I've sprained my ankle," cried Emily, fretfully. "And I'm so hungry," said Sylvine.

I dare say you are; can't you catch a carp?" shouted Charley, who must always have his joke, though at heart he was as kind as possible. "Well, we'll feed you gloriously as soon as we get you, but that's the difficulty. Will you be afraid to stay here whilst I go to the village for a boat, or donkey, or fishing-net, or something to get you away with? It's impossible for me to get down there, or if I did, I could never carry you up.

They looked rather doleful at the prospect of being again left in that dark glen.

tr

Good-bye, little Misses Robinson Crusoe, I will go as quickly as my legs can carry me.'

And he and poor Lucy threaded their way through the wood again right cheerily, meeting Frederick and Mademoiselle in their way, who had begun to be very anxious, but were rejoiced to hear of the lost ones being found.

You may be sure the time seemed long to Sylvine and Emily whilst they awaited their deliverance, but

hope gave them patience, and if they cried at all, it was for joy. By-and-by a fishing punt appeared in sight rowed by Charley and a peasant from the village, who, when the rocks were reached, jumped out, and wading above his knees in water, bore them one by one on his shoulders to the boat. Oh! the joy of the two girls as they once more felt themselves in safety. How they demolished the bread and apples Charley had thoughtfully provided for them, and how glad they were to alight and find themselves with kind, grave Mademoiselle and Lucy.

66

'Oh! dear, dear Mademoiselle," cried Sylvine, as they all turned their steps towards the inn, an invalid carriage having been brought for Emily, "do forgive me, for I have been so wretched."

"Let us hear all about it," replied Mademoiselle Allemeyer; "mind, Sylvine, the whole truth. Child, child, you little think of the anxiety you have caused."

And Sylvine told her story tearfully and meekly, omitting generously to lay most of the blame on Emily, which, although she had been wrong and foolish herself, she might have done. Julian, however, when the whole affair was told on reaching home, reproved Emily severely, and for almost the first time in her life she wept tears of real penitence and shame. Her eldest brother was the one in the world she most loved and feared, and his firm, just words of anger made a deep impression. To picture Jenny's feelings when

she heard of the danger and distress which her dear Sylvine had suffered is far beyond words of mine. Even when she was in bed she could not sleep for thinking of it, neither could Sylvine, and the two lay awake for hours both serious and both happy.

CHAPTER XVIII.

BENIGHTED.

THE next day they were to return to Beddgelert; the Hill party proposing to proceed to Llangollen by way of Bala and Corwen, which places they had not yet seen, whilst Mademoiselle had received instruction from Madame D'Aubencourt to meet her with her young charges at Bangor. So the pleasant party would soon be broken up; for pleasant it had been to all, and to Jenny especially, in spite of her former aversion to join it. But everything had been smooth and happy. Emily she had seen little of, and that little had not been disagreeable, for awed by her brother Julian's reproofs she had behaved politely and even kindly to her. The kindness Jenny did not feel very grateful for, since she saw it was forced. The hotel being full and every vehicle in request, only one car