is going to sleep when, for all we know, poor old
Vane's lying helpless somewhere out on the moor. Let me come and stop
with you."

For answer the doctor laid his hand upon Macey's shoulder, and they
reached the Little Manor swing-gate and passed up the avenue without a
word.

There were lights burning in two of the front windows, and long before
they reached the front door in the porch, it was opened, and a warm glow
of light shone out upon the advancing figures. It threw up, too, the
figure of Aunt Hannah, who, as soon as she realised the fact that there
were two figures approaching, ran out and before the doctor could
enlighten her as to the truth, she flung her arms round Macey's neck,
and hugged him to her breast, sobbing wildly.

"Oh, my dear, my dear, where have you been--where have you been?"

As she spoke, she buried her face upon the lad's shoulder, while Macey
looked up speechlessly at the doctor, and he, choked with emotion as he
was, could not for some moments find a word to utter.

Still, clinging to him in the darkness Aunt Hannah now took tightly hold
of the boy's arm, as if fearing he might again escape from her, and
drawing him up toward the door from which the light shone now, showing
Eliza and Martha both waiting, she suddenly grasped the truth, and
uttered a low wail of agony.

"Not found?" she cried. "Oh, how could you let me, how could you! It
was too cruel, indeed, indeed!"

Aunt Hannah's sobs broke out loudly now; and, unable to bear more, Macey
glided away, and did not stop running after passing the gate till he
reached the rectory door.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.

IN THE EARLY MORNING.

Churchwarden Rounds kept his word, for at the first break of day his
vigorous arms sent the ting-tang ringing in a very different way to that
adopted by old Chakes for the last few minutes before service commenced
on Sunday morning and afternoon. And he did not ring in vain, for
though the search was given up in the night the objections were very
genuine. Everyone was eager to help so respected a neighbour as the
doctor, and to a man the searchers surrounded him as he walked up to the
church; even Wrench the carpenter, and Chakes the sexton putting in an
appearance in a different suit to that worn over-night and apparently
none the worse for the cold plunge into peaty water they had had.

The rector was not present, and the little expedition was about to
start, when Macey came running up to s