good-bye, and
returned to Bodyfauld.

Dr. Anderson remained a few days longer at Rothieden, and amongst others
visited Mrs. Falconer, who was his first cousin. What passed between
them Robert never heard, nor did his grandmother even allude to the
visit. He went by the mail-coach from Rothieden to Aberdeen, and whether
he should ever see him again Robert did not know.

He flew his kite no more for a while, but betook himself to the work of
the harvest-field, in which he was now able for a share. But his violin
was no longer neglected.

Day after day passed in the delights of labour, broken for Robert by The
Arabian Nights and the violin, and for Shargar by attendance upon Miss
Lammie, till the fields lay bare of their harvest, and the night-wind of
autumn moaned everywhere over the vanished glory of the country, and it
was time to go back to school.

CHAPTER XXIII. AN AUTO DA FE.

The morning at length arrived when Robert and Shargar must return to
Rothieden. A keen autumnal wind was blowing far-off feathery clouds
across a sky of pale blue; the cold freshened the spirits of the boys,
and tightened their nerves and muscles, till they were like bow-strings.
No doubt the winter was coming, but the sun, although his day's work was
short and slack, was still as clear as ever. So gladsome was the world,
that the boys received the day as a fresh holiday, and strenuously
forgot to-morrow. The wind blew straight from Rothieden, and between
sun and wind a bright thought awoke in Robert. The dragon should not be
carried--he should fly home.

After they had said farewell, in which Shargar seemed to suffer more
than Robert, and had turned the corner of the stable, they heard the
good farmer shouting after them,

'There'll be anither hairst neist year, boys,' which wonderfully
restored their spirits. When they reached the open road, Robert laid his
violin carefully into a broom-bush. Then the tail was unrolled, and the
dragon ascended steady as an angel whose work is done. Shargar took the
stick at the end of the string, and Robert resumed his violin. But the
creature was hard to lead in such a wind; so they made a loop on the
string, and passed it round Shargar's chest, and he tugged the dragon
home. Robert longed to take his share in the struggle, but he could not
trust his violin to Shargar, and so had to walk beside ingloriously. On
the way they laid their plans for the accommodation of the dragon. But
the violin