r
he would be able that night to write down mentally QEF.

He cast an eye to left and right to see if he were being watched, but
every one seemed to be busy over his or her affairs, and he began to
think that his start was exciting no interest whatever, when he saw
Brookes crossing the big field beyond the garden.

But the man did not turn his head in Nic's direction; and the next
minute, after forcing himself not to look round, the boy had placed the
trees between them, and cantered away quite out of sight of the house,
keeping down in a hollow leading toward the fern gully, as if going to
visit some cattle on the other side of the hills lying to the
south-east. As soon as he was beyond those hills he bore away to the
north, as if making for the Wattles; and when a mile or so in that
direction he bore to the left again for some distance, and then made for
the west--just the very opposite direction to that which he had taken in
starting.

The morning was delightful as he rode on, now in the full sunshine, now
in shade; and the feeling of exhilaration which came over him seemed to
be shared by his horse, which began to dance about and strain to get
away for a swift gallop.

A word or two always checked it, and the beautiful creature, whose satin
skin glistened in the sunshine, playfully tossed its head and ambled on.

"Nobody can have imagined which way I was coming," thought Nic; and
then, "Bother the old flour!" he said, half aloud; "how it works through
the bag! Why, Sorrel, your back will be as white as my knees. Woa!"

The nag stopped short, and Nic stood at the edge of a glade dotted with
clumps of acacia in full bloom, everything seeming to be covered with
tiny golden balls.

"Why, you two wretches, how dare you come hunting?"

Nic sat like a statue among the trees watching, as he saw the two
collies suddenly come into sight about five hundred yards away and then
run among the low growth for which they were making.

"Well, it won't matter," he said. "They can't tell tales. But they may
come again and show some one the way. I'll send them back."

He pressed his horse's sides, and walked it toward where the dogs had
disappeared, putting up a flock of the tiny zebra paroquets, which flew
a little distance to another tree.

"Poor fellows! I should like to give them a good run," he said to
himself; "but it's best not. I suppose I'm doing something very
unlawful, but the law did wrong to that poor f