et a thing but hard looks
when we get back--if ever we do."

"We'll be lucky if we get off with hard looks, I reckon," said Clint
gloomily.

They went on through the woods. They were tired now and it was quite
dark under the trees and they made slow progress. Once Clint tripped
over a fallen branch and measured his length and once Amy ran head-on
into a sapling and declared irately, as he rubbed his nose, that he
would come back the next day with an axe and settle matters. At last,
after a silence of many minutes: "We're doing it, I'll bet you
anything," said Amy.

"Doing what?" asked Clint from the twilight.

"Walking in a circle. We must be. We've been in this place for twenty
minutes, at least, and we haven't found a way out yet. Which way is it
you go when you walk in a circle? To the left, isn't it?"

"Right, I think," answered Clint doubtfully.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's the left. Tell you what we'll do, we'll take
shorter steps with our right legs, Clint"

They tried it, but nothing resulted. It was pitch-black now and, since
the sun was gone, getting chillier every minute. Clint wished he had put
on a vest, or, rather, waistcoat. He was about ready to give up when a
patch of grey showed ahead and they made toward it to find themselves at
the edge of the wood on a little hill. Below them spread uncertainly a
bare field. Overhead a few stars shone. If the road was near it was too
dark to see it. They sat down on the ground to rest. For several minutes
neither spoke. Then Clint heard a chuckle from Amy.

"Glad you find it so funny," he grumbled resentfully.

"I was just thinking of something," gurgled Amy. "This is Saturday, you
know, and we always have cold lamb for supper on Saturdays. I hate
cold lamb."

"I don't see where the joke comes in," grumbled Clint.

"Why, I don't have to eat the lamb, do I? Isn't that funny?"

"No, it isn't. I could eat cold--cold--cold dog! Come on. We might as
well walk as sit here and freeze to death."

"I've read," said Amy, "that freezing was a pleasant death, but it
doesn't seem so. Maybe, though, it's painful just at first." He arose
with a groan and followed Clint down the slope. There were more briers,
and now and then they stumbled over outcropping rocks. The field seemed
interminable, but after awhile Clint bumped into a wall. They climbed
over it and started on again.

"If there was only a moon," said Clint, "it would help some. You can't
see a blessed thi