,
my darling little Curly, why did I let you out of my sight?"

"I dare say he won't die," said Alan, feigning a cheerfulness he did not
feel. "The first thing to do is to get him warm. Where's the nearest
house?"

"The Low Farm is the _nearest_," said Marjory doubtfully, "if Mrs.
Shaw--"

"Will let us in to make a mess of her kitchen," finished Alan. "She is a
bit of a cross-patch, but we'll _make_ her let us in. What's the good of
a Triple Alliance if we can't fight? Come on, girls. United we stand!"

They ran off as fast as they could towards the Low Farm, Alan carrying
Curly very close to him, so that the warmth from his own body might
revive the little dog. Blanche kept asking if he seemed better, but the
answer was always the same--he had not moved or shown any signs of life.

Once Marjory said, "I say, it was very good of you, Alan, and you're
soaking wet, and you must be cold without your coat."

"Rot!" replied Alan, and Marjory said no more.

CHAPTER XI.

THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER.

"And thus the heart will break,
Yet brokenly live on."--BYRON.

Mrs. Shaw saw the children coming, and wondered what could be the reason
of this unusual visit. She went to the garden gate to meet them, and saw
at once by Blanche's tear-stained face that something was wrong. They
told her what they wanted, and she invited them in without hesitation,
taking them straight to the kitchen, where a bright fire was blazing.

Alan unwrapped poor Curly, and Mrs. Shaw fetched a piece of blanket for
him to lie on, and gave him a spoonful of brandy, Blanche holding his
mouth open. They all watched him anxiously. He soon began to move a
little, and in a few minutes he got up, stretched and shook himself, and
then went to his mistress to be caressed.

Blanche hugged and kissed him with every expression of delight. She had
hardly realized how precious her little pet had become until she so
nearly lost him. But Curly had been in Mrs. Shaw's kitchen before, and
when he considered that he had received enough petting, he calmly
trotted off to a corner of the room where he had once had a very good
dinner, and began sniffing and nosing about. No dish was there this
time, and so he trotted back again and sat down, looking expectantly at
the group of amused watchers. Mrs. Shaw went and got some bread and milk
for him, and he was soon very busy with it, seeming none the worse for
his adventure.

"Well, I must be going," remarked