y ran on to where the squire and
Farmer Tallington were awaiting them.

"We'll say `good-night' now," said the squire. "Here, Dick, Farmer's
Joe is coming on with the lantern. Shall we let him light us home?"

"Why, we should have to see him home afterwards, father," said Dick
merrily.

"Right, my lad! Good-night, Tallington! You are in for your two
hundred, mind."

"Yes, and may it bring good luck to us!" said the fanner. "Good-night
to both of you!"

"Good-night!"

Dick supplemented his "good-night" with a pat on the head of the great
sheep-dog, which stood staring along the track, and snuffing the wind;
and then he and his father started homeward.

"I shall come over directly after breakfast, Dick," shouted Tom.

"All right!" replied Dick as he looked back, to see that the lantern had
now become stationary, and then it once more began to dance up and down,
while the two lights shone out like tiny stars a few hundred yards away.

"They've got the best of it, Dick," said the squire. "Why, we were
nearly there. Let's make haste or your mother will be uneasy. Phew!
the wind's getting high!"

CHAPTER THREE.

A STORMY NIGHT.

It was a tremendous blast which came sweeping over the sea, and quite
checked the progress of the travellers for the moment, but they pressed
on, seeming to go right through the squall, and trudging along sturdily
towards home.

"I begin to wish someone had put a light in the window for us, Dick,"
said the squire at the end of a few minutes' walking. "It's getting
terribly dark."

Dick said, "Yes," and thought of the thread, but he made no allusion to
it, only laughed to himself and tramped on.

"By the way, how uneasy that dog seemed!" said the squire as they
trudged on with heads bent, for they were facing the blast now.

"Yes, father; we passed a fox."

"Passed a fox! Why, you couldn't see a fox a dark night like this."

"No, but I could smell him, father, and we heard him catch a duck."

"Ah! I see. And did the dog scent out the fox?"

"Yes, I think so, and that made him whine."

"Come along, my lad. Let's get on as fast as we can. It's growing
blacker, and I'm afraid we shall have some rain."

No rain fell, but the sky was completely clouded over and the darkness
seemed to grow more and more intense. The wind kept increasing in
violence and then dying out, as if it came in huge waves which swept
over them and had a great interval between, while as t