able lantern in his hand. He came close to where Lord
Arden stood--a tall, dark figure in the starlight--and spoke in a voice
that trembled.

"The little nipper," he said; and again, "the little nipper. If
anything's happened to 'im! Swelp me! gov'ner--my lord, I mean. What I
meanter say, if anything's 'appened to _'im_! One of the best!"

The two men went quickly towards the gate. As they passed down the
quiet, dusty road Beale spoke again.

"I wasn't no good--I don't deceive you, guv'ner--a no account man I
was, swelp me! And the little 'un, 'e tidied me up and told me tales and
kep' me straight. It was 'is doing me and 'Melia come together. An' the
dogs an' all. An' the little one. An' 'e got me to chuck the cadgin'.
An' worse. 'E don't know what I was like when I met 'im. Why, I set out
to make a blighted burglar of 'im--you wouldn't believe!"

And out the whole story came as Lord Arden and he went along the gray
road, looking to right and left where no bushes were nor stones, only
the smooth curves of the down, so that it was easy to see that no little
boy was there either.

They looked for Dickie to right and left and here and there under
bushes, and by stiles and hedges, and with trembling hearts they
searched in the little old chalk quarry, and the white moon came up very
late to help them. But they did not find him, though they roused a dozen
men in the village to join in the search, and old Beale himself, who
knew every yard of the ground for five miles round, came out with the
spaniel who knew every inch of it for ten. But True rushed about the
house and garden whining and yelping so piteously that 'Melia tied him
up, and he stayed tied up.

And so, when Edred and Elfrida came down to breakfast, Mrs. Honeysett
met them with the news that Dickie was lost and their father still out
looking for him.

"It's that beastly magic," said Edred as soon as the children were
alone. "He's done it once too often, and he's got stuck some time in
history and can't get back."

"And we can't do anything. We can't get to him," said Elfrida. "Oh! if
only we'd got the old white magic and the Mouldiwarp to help us, we
could find out what's become of him."

"Perhaps he has fallen down a disused mine," Edred suggested, "and is
lying panting for water, and his faithful dog has jumped down after him
and broken all its dear legs."

Elfrida melted to tears at this desperate picture, melted to a
speechless extent.

"We can