ghtened at his screams, began to
cry too. I turned to go back, but we had gone further than I thought; and
the road being irregular, we had picked our way round many tall bushes of
heather, all looking so much alike--that I did not know which way to take.
In great trouble what to do, and scarcely being able to hold the baby any
longer, I shouted "Nurse! nurse!" as loud as I could shout; but so great
was the noise made by the screaming of the children, that my voice could
not be heard. Presently, however, to my great relief, the nurse suddenly
appeared from behind the bush, near which we were sitting.

What a face of rage she had! "How dare you," she said, "how dare you go so
far?" Then snatching the child from my arms, she would not hear a word;
but as soon as she had made him and the rest of the children quiet, she
went on abusing me very much indeed.

We were still some way from home when the church clock chimed a quarter to
two. Suddenly the nurse stopped, put her hand into her pocket, and looked
very much frightened. "I've left the book," she said, "left it on the
bank; run--run directly--make haste--don't lose a moment, or it may be gone."
I stood still; for I felt angry at having been scolded so undeservedly.
"Go! go this instant!" I was too late; the book was gone! I scarcely dared
to go back. "Not find it!" said the nurse, when I came up to her; "it must
be there; you've done this on purpose." When we had reached home, she
flung the baby hurriedly into my arms. "I'll go myself," she said.

The book I had seen her take out of her pocket looked very much like one
placed on a side-table in the room of which I had charge, and so great was
my curiosity to know if it really were the same, that I could not resist
going down to see; so putting the baby (who had begun to cry again) upon
the bed, and telling the little ones to sit still for a minute, down I
went. The book was not on the table. I was sure that I had dusted and
placed it there that very morning, and I now felt certain that _that_ book
was the lost one. The nurse returned, but without the book. She seemed
very much hurried, and was very cross. She could not have been more so if
the book had been lost by any fault of mine. She asked me if I knew the
name of it. I told her that I did not; taking care not to mention my
suspicion--nay, my certainty--that it was the very book I had dusted and
placed on the table that morning. The next day a great change seemed to