, climbed
up into the maple, and little Dora, the dimpled six-year-old, stood
gravely in the foreground with an enormous grey cat hugged in her
chubby arms.

It was a pretty group in a pretty setting, and I thrilled with
professional pride as I stepped back for a final, knowing squint at it
all. Then I went to my camera, slipped in the plate, gave them due
warning and took off the cap.

I took two plates to make sure and then the thing was over, but as I
had another plate left I thought I might as well take a view of the
house by itself, so I carried my camera to a new place and had just
got everything ready to lift the cap when Mr. Carroll came down and
said:

"If you girls want to see something pretty, come to the back field
with me. That will wait till you come back, won't it, Amy?"

So we all betook ourselves to the back field, a short distance away,
where Mr. Carroll proudly displayed two of the prettiest little Jersey
cows I had ever seen.

We returned to the house by way of the back lane and, as we came in
sight of the main road, my brother Cecil drove up and said that if I
were ready, I had better go home with him and save myself a hot, dusty
walk.

The Carrolls all went down to the fence to speak to Cecil, but I
dashed hurriedly down through the orchard, leaped over the fence into
the lawn and ran to the somewhat remote corner where I had left my
camera. I was in a desperate hurry, for I knew Cecil's horse did not
like to be kept waiting, so I never even glanced at the house, but
snatched off the cap, counted two and replaced it.

Then I took out my plate, put it in the holder and gathered up my
traps. I suppose I was about five minutes at it all and I had my back
to the house the whole time, and when I laid all my things ready and
emerged from my retreat, there was nobody to be seen about the place.

As I hurried up through the lawn, I noticed Ned Brooke walking at a
smart pace down the lane, but the fact did not make any particular
impression on me at the time, and was not recalled until afterwards.

Cecil was waiting for me, so I got in the buggy and we drove off. On
arriving home I shut myself up in my dark room and proceeded to
develop the first two negatives of the Carroll housestead. They were
both excellent, the first one being a trifle the better, so that I
decided to finish from it. I intended also to develop the third, but
just as I finished the others, a half-dozen city cousins swooped d