for the time being; and next began, with the aid of the nurse, to make some strong coffee, with which she went to dose her sister.

It did them both good; and Mrs. Strahan had just fallen into a doze on the sofa about an hour afterwards, when a ring at the door made them start, and caused Rose to fly out of the room before Mrs. Strahan was fairly on her feet.

Alas, no! it was only Ronald and Theodore, who burst into the hall, both dripping wet, and asking eagerly,' Is not Clavell home yet?'

'Clavell? No! But where's Charlie? have you not found him?'

Ronald looked at Theodore in consternation. 'I'm sure I heard the signal; didn't you, Thory?'

'What signal?' exclaimed Mrs. Strahan.

'You know, Clavell agreed that if one party found Charlie, they were to halloo three times before they went home. Well, just as we had searched Fairies Dell without finding him, we heard the signal-I'm certain we did-some way off in the wood. So we screeched back again, and came home as fast as possible. We must have spent rather less time on the road than they did, but you may be sure they will be here directly.'

'I hope so indeed,' said Rose, as Mrs. Strahan turned back into the drawing-room in silent distress. But, O Ronald! Violet is lost too!'

E

'Violet!' exclaimed the others in a breath. 'Why, she was out in the porch with us before we started.'

'So we all said; but she is not there now, nor anywhere else in the house or garden.'

'Are you sure you have looked everywhere?'

'Well, we have been looking for more than two hours. What is more extraordinary, no one has the least idea where she can have gone.'

'Surely she can't have gone after Charlie,' said Theodore.

'What can make you think so?' exclaimed Rose, regarding him with startled eyes. Such an idea could never have come into the child's head!'

'I don't know,' said Theodore slowly; 'and yet, now I think of it, Charlie was telling her some nonsense about what he would do in case he were lost.

Where was it he said he would go? I remember now-to the Hollow Oak!'

'Well, I wish you had remembered before!' said Ronald.

'Oh, Ronald! surely she can't have gone after him,' cried Rose; in this storm too!'

I'll go off directly and see,' exclaimed Theodore ; but Ronald stopped him, saying: 'No, no, my dear fellow! we will wait half an hour. On my word, I believe Clavell has found one or both of them; and if so, he will be home soon. It will be time enough to go

after them when we are sure he has not got them safe all the while.'

Theodore resisted, and would have gone off by himself had not Rose urged the impossibility of his going out without first changing his coat.

'As Ronald says, it will be much better to wait a little while, and see if Clavell comes home. Make haste and come and have some coffee in the drawing-room. I've lighted the fire; it has grown so chilly, I thought you would be cold.'

'We'll be down in a minute, Rosie. Here, Thory, man, come and put on one of my coats;' and the two lads went up-stairs, while Rose went back to the drawing-room.

Ten, twenty, and thirty minutes went by, but still Mr. Strahan did not come. Mrs. Strahan had long given up all pretence of working, and paced up and down the room; while Rose conversed in a low tone with her brother.

As the half-hour struck, Theodore started from his seat. 'Ronald, it is no use waiting any longer; he would have been home by now.'

'Well, I'm quite ready,' said Ronald, rearing his great length of limb from a low easy-chair. 'That coffee has done me no end of good. We had better make our way as straight as possible to the Hollow Oak. Where's my coat, Rosie?'

They were soon off, and Rose stood on the steps watching them down the lane. Already the landscape had begun to assume the grey hue of early dawn, and the storm was almost over, leaving the lawn strewn with traces of its fury. The rain had ceased, but every leaf and thorn showered their drops as if weeping for the ruined beauty of the little garden. It was a scene in keeping with Rose's feelings just then, and she stood for some time watching the gradual increase of light, and drinking in the fresh sweetness of the air. Then she recollected her sister; and sighing wearily, went back into the house again.

V

WHAT HAPPENED.

ND where was Violet all this time? The wind

almost swept her off her feet as she ran

trembling down the little lane; the thunder crashed suddenly and awfully, and when the moon came from behind the clouds, its ghostly light seemed to fill the room with weird, unnatural shapes, till Violet rejoiced at the intervals of darkness. Yet she never thought of turning back. It was no foolish spirit of adventure, no excited half-conscious wrong-doing, which had sent the timid, nervous child out in the night through such a storm, but the true woman's instinct of love and protection towards one she felt, in this instance, was weaker than herself. It was some distance even to the gate of the wood, and when she got there, she could not help recoiling for a moment at