sick and almost fainting. "Do you mean wolves and bears, and--
and--"

"Well, no," said Ephraim slowly, as he searched a bed of young carrots as
though he thought Poppy might by chance have got under the feathery
leaves. "I won't say there are any of them there kinds exactly, but wild
cattle, and 'osses, and sheep; there's plenty 'nough of they about, and
they'm 'most so bad."

Esther's heart was relieved. ''Osses and cattle' seemed so very mild
after what she had pictured.

"I think we'd better go and look on the moor," she said impatiently, as
Ephraim showed every sign of making a prolonged search amongst the
sea-kale pots, taking the cover off each one in turn. Almost reluctantly
he followed her. In the path there still stood Poppy's little
watering-can. Esther's eyes filled with tears as she caught sight of it.
Ephraim saw it too, and picked it up.

"Perhaps we'd better take this here along as a clue," he said, looking
very wise.

Esther could not see what possible use it could be, or how it could help
them, but she consented in order to hurry him along; so off they went,
Ephraim carrying the tiny can. But hardly had they stepped through the
doorway than they saw that their search was ended. Poppy, led by
Penelope, was coming down the hill towards them.

"There she is! oh, there she is!" cried Esther, and flew up to meet them,
Ephraim following.

On getting outside, Penelope had, by good fortune, at first followed
almost exactly in Poppy's footsteps. By stopping to search every bush and
boulder she had got somewhat out of her way, but, as she was stooping to
look under a large clump of broom and gorse not so very far from where her
little sister lay asleep, something white fluttering about had caught her
eye. It was Poppy's pinafore, dried now by the breeze. A moment later
she caught sight of Poppy's shoes standing alone, without any wearer in
them. The sight of her little sister's clothes lying about the moor in
this fashion turned Penelope perfectly sick and cold with a horrible,
indescribable fear. With feet weighted with terror, and quivering limbs,
she hurried to the spot, and dropped on her knees half senseless by her
sister's body. A moment later all her terrors fled, replaced by a
wonderful ecstasy of thankfulness and joy. Poppy stirred, turned in her
sleep, and showed a dirty but rosy face to her frightened sister. In her
relief Penelope, with a shout of happiness, flung her arms abo