ng; he could not very
well go away leaving such an anxious household as this. Brenda felt
sorry both for him and for the twins, but said nothing.

The search-party met in the hall, just as that other search-party
had kept doing so many, many years ago, but there was never any
news.

"Can there be a secret chamber somewhere else?" said Nesta.

Brenda shook her head.

"I don't think so," she said.

"I wish father would come home," Eustace thought miserably. "He
might think of something."

"We had better ask grandfather what is to be done," said Herbert at
last in desperation.

It was a last resource. Nothing but the most serious business was
allowed to interrupt Mr. Chase's morning, but this had become
sufficiently pressing to warrant the intrusion.

In through the folding-doors trooped the anxious-looking searchers,
Herbert first.

"Well, I never!" he exclaimed, for there stood Peter as calm as
you please, his hands behind him, staring at his grandfather across
the broad writing-table.

"Can you ride bareback?" he was inquiring in his shrill treble.
"Bob can; but he said I mustn't try because it is slimy."

"Slimy?" repeated Mr. Chase, with brows bent in perplexity.

"Yes," said Peter, "sliddery, you know. A horse is a very slippery
beast for short legs, Bob says."

He went on quite regardless of the intruders, who stood watching in
awed silence, because if Mr. Chase did not order Peter out of the
room, it was no one's business to do so.

"And who may this Bob be you keep quoting?" asked Mr. Chase--"a
bushranger?"

"No, he's our friend," replied Peter. "He is just Bob, you know,
who comes to see us. Once Eustace and he were lost in the scrub.
And Bob says Eustace is a--"

"Peter!" exclaimed Eustace.

"I wasn't going to say anything bad," said Peter. "I was only going
to tell grandfather how you--"

"Grandfather doesn't want to know," said Eustace, looking red and
uncomfortable.

Mr. Chase turned his bright blue eyes on Eustace; they were blue
eyes, very like Peter's.

"Perhaps grandfather does," he said firmly.--"Go on, Peter."

"I can tell you better," said Eustace hurriedly. "It is only Bob
was lost, and I got lost looking for him; and we thought some
natives were going to kill us, but the chief wanted a reward, so
he fetched father and Mr. Cochrane to take us home."

Mr. Chase listened quietly. It was a tame little story, without
much point to it told like that, but he had watched Eusta