It seemed hours during all this waiting and watching. Mr. Dale ran as fast as ever he could to the village, until he gasped and panted for breath. The people must have thought him mad; but they saw he was making for the doctor's house, and then they said—

Nothing the matter, I hope?'

When he got to the doctor's door he knocked pretty loud, you may be sure; and as soon as ever the maid-servant came, he said—

Your master at home?'

Gone into the country, sir,' said she. 'Where to?' asked Mr. Dale.

'I don't know, sir, I am sure,' the girl answered.

'Which way did he go?'

'I can't say, sir. Perhaps Joseph, he may know. Joseph, can you tell Mr. Dale which way master has ridden?' asked she, calling to a stableman who was sweeping the yard.

Joseph scratched his head, but he could not scratch any ideas out of it; and after looking up the road and down the road, as if his master could still be in sight, he said Noa!' which meant 'No.'

So Mr. Dale turned away to his own house. On his road he asked of everybody he met which

way Dr. Groves had gone. After awhile he found a woman who had met him going into the country; so Mr. Dale ran home with all his might, ordered his horse to be saddled, and rode like a John Gilpin after the doctor.

I don't mean to say that he rode with all the dogs of the village after him, and that he lost his hat and wig upon the road: for he had no wig, for one thing; but he seemed to be riding for a race, and he made all the people stare and look at him. He traced Dr. Groves from one place to another. He had been to a cottage to see a child with fever; then he had been seen to ride up the road to the next village; but always, as Mr. Dale got to the place, the doctor was just gone. All the while Mr. Dale was thinking of poor little Toby lying on the grass moaning with pain, with his eyes shut and his poor little broken leg.

While Mr. Dale was riding about, it began to pour with rain.

And poor little Toby meanwhile! He lay just the same, without speaking, only moaning, and holding Harry's hand in his, until suddenly there came down a heavy pour of rain, enough to soak through everybody in five minutes.

Nobody had seen how black the sky had become, they were so taken up with Toby.