inds. How still he kept,
listening for every sound! and at last his heart gave a thump.

"Surely that was the window opening." Not a second did he lose. "Mamma!
mamma! I'm here under the snow; do come here!" he called, with all his
strength, over and over again. It is no wonder that the tears began to
fall thick and fast from Ned's eyes as the window closed, and the
dreadful still darkness was around him, and the hope of making mamma
hear him lost.

Now he had only to wait for papa, and our little hero stopped his sobs,
fearing he might lose one sound of those expected welcome steps. He
would try to be as patient as possible, not a doubt entering his mind of
papa's finding him.

Mrs. Bancroft had come home, and after taking off her cloak and bonnet,
as usual closed her blinds, entirely unconscious of the little voice
appealing to her for help. She thought her boy was sitting in the
library learning his lesson, or was perhaps listening to one of Jane's
Irish stories in the kitchen, Jane being very fond of him: she had been
his nurse when he was a baby. Yet mamma was rather surprised that Ned
had not run up stairs to see her after the long afternoon's absence.

She went down stairs to meet Mr. Bancroft, whom she heard opening the
front door; they walked together into the library, papa saying, "Where's
Ned?"

"He must be in the kitchen," said Mrs. Bancroft. "I've not seen him
since I came home at six o'clock."

Mr. Bancroft went into the hall, calling aloud, "Ned, where are you?"

How joyfully would Ned have answered could he have heard papa's dear
cheerful voice!

There was no response, and Mrs. Bancroft rang the library bell. "Jane,
send Master Ned up stairs," she said, as Jane made her appearance.

"Sure I've not seen him the whole afternoon, ma'am."

Mrs. Bancroft looked at her husband with an alarmed face, saying, "Where
can the child be? He never staid out so late before."

After searching every room in the house, they went to the front door,
looking in vain up and down the street. Mr. Bancroft then went to the
houses of several neighbors whose little boys had often played with Ned,
but none had seen him since school-time.

The parents were now truly frightened, for Ned had never been in the
habit of going anywhere without permission; but now they thought he must
have strayed away, and some accident befallen him.

"Oh, Edward," said Mrs. Bancroft, the tears falling from her eyes, "what
shall we do to