his father
said.

When they reached home Margot had to be told the whole story, and the
next morning it was poured into Miss Robsart's ears, and then an
expedition was made to Curly's crossing to tell him about it.

'For acourse you ought to know,' said Bobby, 'for you saved Nobble's
life, and he saved father's, so it's got to do with you as well as me.'

And then True suggested that Lady Isobel should be written and told
about it.

'And we'll make it up like a story, Bobby, for it's quite fit for a
book, and I'll help you write it.'

Three afternoon's hard work in the sitting-room produced the following
epistle, which went down to the country and greeted Lady Isobel one
morning at breakfast:

'MY VERY DERE ANT ISBEL,--

'Father says you are my ant now. A wunderfull day hapend. Father and
True and me and Nobbles went on our skats to skat in the cuntry. It
was a very big pond, and a lot of pepul, and we went in the trane.
Nobbles kam with us. The ice began to brake when a boy went on it
where he was told not, and he went thro. It was an orful moment. And
father and me saw him do it. Father gumped in the water and kort him
and lifted him up, and he krawled out, and Father kam out too, and
there was anuther crack, and Father went down and onley his head
remaned and sum fingers. Me and Nobbles nerely burst with terrerr, but
we went up very quik, and I held Nobbles out to dere father, and we was
going to pull him out, but it was orfull, and sum men came up, and
Nobbles was tuk and lade on his chest flat across the hole in the ice.
Father's head had gorn down twice for the ice crakkeled in his fingers,
but he tuk hold of Nobbles, and Nobbles smild and held him fast for hes
so strong, and then a man lade down on his chest flat and held out his
hand to Father and anuther man pulled hold of his legs, and anuther man
pulled him, and I was pushed away for I wanted to pull too, but I did
not cry but I was 'normusly fritend, and at larst Father was pulled out
safe, but they saide if Nobbles had not been there he wood have
drownded, so dont you think that me and Nobbles saved Father's life?
He saide we did, and I am so glad for I luv him the best in the wurld,
him and God in Heaven. It was an orful excedent, and Margot says we
were nerely orfans, and me and Nobbles dremes of it nerely every night,
so Nobbles is a herro, wich True says is anybuddy who saves life, and I
helped him to do it. Plese rite to me soon.