Harding's luck

ded that Beale had persuaded him to stay the night at the cottage. And Lord Arden thought that the children must be r

ess of the boy," he said; "and I shall s

ed. Suppose Dickie was not at Beale's? He strolled up to the cottage to see. Everything was dark at the cottage

there?"

rd Arden. "Richard i

lord," said Beale,

nxiety. I had to come up

Didn't you pick 'im up with the do

down, Beale, and get a lantern.

e of light, and Lord Arden below

nded; "never mind lacing up of your boots.

wash-house, and came round the corner of the house with a stable lantern in his hand. He came clos

nything's happened to 'im! Swelp me! gov'ner-my lord, I mean. Wha

he gate. As they passed down the q

nd kep' me straight. It was 'is doing me and 'Melia come together. An' the dogs an' all. An' the little one. An' 'e got me to chuck the

oking to right and left where no bushes were nor stones, only the smooth curve

e up very late to help them. But they did not find him, though they roused a dozen men in the village to join in the search, and old Beale himself, who knew every yard of the ground for five mil

t, Mrs. Honeysett met them with the news that Dickie

hildren were alone. "He's done it once too often, and

ida. "Oh! if only we'd got the old white magic and the Mou

ted, "and is lying panting for water, and his faithful do

this desperate picture, mel

like that, for goodness' sake, Elfrida. This is a man's

da untruly, and sniff

poetry now," Edred went o

y have to be dead and gone people's dresses, and you'll only go to the dead and gone people's time when the dres

d Edred, "at least you must too

y as this. Poetry's the last thin

dresses father brought home, and I have father's shooting-gaiters and brown paper tops, and you can have Aunt Edith

up," said Elfrida; "I

st do something, and perhaps, I know it's just only perha

case of Elfrida, petticoats and Roman sash and Japanese wickerwork shoes and father's shooting-gaiters made to look like boots by brown paper tops. And in the case of Edred, legs cased in armor that looked like cricket pads, ending in

the p

n; "I can't! So there. I've been trying all the t

ear Dickie

ot pla

omes with fl

dear Di

ow that'

r and try he did, his very hardest, be sure. But there are some things that the best and bravest cannot do. And the thing Edred couldn't

warp, you s

more magic.

rd on us, becau

t know how

Elfrida until she had begged very hard indeed. At about the thirtieth "Do, please! Edred, do!" he gave her the paper. No little girl was ever more polite than Elfrida or less anxious to hurt the feelings of othe

ry it, and not

said crossly; "and I've made

a comfortingly, "and I will again if you like. But

thers on her Indian head-dress quive

ked in anxious tones, an

iestwarp, on

greatest m

s how we

who is lam

, and on our h

sk you for an

tter than mine," said Edred, "and

rhyming," Elfrida explained. "But I'm sure if the Mouldiestwarp hears it he won't care tup

hed Edred, and I dare say y

remember you can only get at the Mouldiestwarp by a

d get Dickie back by doing a noble dee

aid Edred grumpily; "

Elfrida's poetry was more potent than Edred's; also that

n costumes of all countries and all ages-Chinamen, Indians, Crusaders in armor, powdered ladies, doubleted gentlemen, Cavaliers in curls, Turks in turbans, Arabs, monks, abbesses, jesters, grandees with ruffs round their necks, and savages wi

s. Everything they wore was white now. Even the Roman sash, instead of having stripes blue and red and green and black and yellow, was of five diff

fringed cloth of checkered silver and green, and on it, with the Mouldiwarp standing on one side and the Mouldierwarp on the other, the Mouldie

and it seemed impossible for them not to advance, tho

med right to bow, ver

Mouldiw

rings y

c," Elfrid

Mouldier

s your

d, "We want D

p said, and it was to

or many a day unless you yourself go, alone, and rescue him.

Edred rather blank

st be paid by you. It will cost you more to do it than i

before all these people too! To ask a chap to do a nobl

n, and a shudder ran

a white toreador who was close to him. "Th

aught Edr

ave as me," she said.

ill," said Edr

e," said the Mouldiestwarp, very ki

ldiestwarp leaned towards

the great company in the White Hall

Harding is Richard Arden, and it is he who is Lord Arden and not you or your father. And if you go to his rescue you will be taking from y

rightful heir?" Edr

in charge to her to nurse. She knew nothing but that the child's clothes were marked Arden, and that it had, tied to its waist, a coral and bells engraved with a coat of arms. The man who had stolen the child said he would return in a month. He never r

't forget it a

man brought up the child as her own. He grew up, was taught a trade and married a working girl. The name of Arden c

d Edred su

ance to be perfectly unselfish, absolutely noble and true. You can take this chance. But you must take it alone. No one can help you. No one can advise you. And you must keep the nobler thought in your own heart till it is a noble deed. Then, humbl

have a chance to be no

take them all. But she will never know that she has done it," said th

," said Edred, "stopping his b

estwarp, "but think. How long would your father wish to keep his ho

btfully. "No, of course he wou

and found that old letter that told of Dickie's birth. He and she have kidnapped Dickie, hoping to get him to sign a paper promising to pay them money for giving him the letter which tells how he is heir to Arden. But a

ed asked again-"to get

efore the fire. You must unchain the dog and take him to the milestone by the crossroads. Then go where th

were like the eyes of all the dear people he had ever known, and through them the soul of all t

ple on the Hall," sa

led the dragon, Blondel who sang to his king in prison, Lady Nithsdale who brought her husband safe out of the cruel Tower. There were captains who went down with their ships, gen

ne the great ones crowded round

s, Edred. Be

could see nothing else. And then suddenly there they

risk commonplace, "what did it say

egan to tear off the armor. "Here

say?" Elfrida a

m not going to tell a

aid Elfrida; "keep your o

hard, w

ida, if you're going to bother it's ju

ly mustn'

said. Which was untrue. You know

ask you a single thing. But you'll tell me the mi

aid. "I've got to do it off my own bat if I do i

uite awed Elfrida. Bu

e me to go away,"

unexpected reply

he w

on the box at the foot of his bed and

go," he to

er," said something els

was in a high fever, and put him to bed with wet rags on his forehead and hot-water bottles to his feet. Perhaps he was feverish. At any rate he could never be sure afterwards whether there

of your

will e

l be all ri

at about Dickie being shut u

iness, is it?" And so on.

with something catching. So he lay tossing all day, hearing the black mol

poor

mised

I wi

Beale's. It was a slow and nervous business. More than once on the staircase he thought he heard a stair creak behind him, and again and again as he went along the road he fancied he heard a soft footstep pad-padding behind him, but of course when he looked round he could see no one was t

d made for it, felt for the chain, unhooked it from the staple in the wall, and went out again, closing the door after him, and followed very willingly by True. Again he looked suspiciously at the shadow of the great sweetbrier, but the dog showe

work cut out to keep up with the dog. Up the hill they went on to the downs, and in and out among the furze bushes. The night was no longer dark to Edred. His eyes had got

fed, sneezed, blew through

home with him. So he pulled at the chain. But True only shook himself and went on digging. The spot he had chosen was under a clump of furze bigger than any they had passed. The sharp

the drawer in the hall. He pulled it out. He would cut away some of the furze b

e said soft

True sneezed and snuffed a

ing an armful of furze pulled, and fell back, a great bundle of the prickly stuff on top of him. True was pulling like mad at the chain. Edred scrambled up; the furze he had pulled away disclosed a hole, and True was disappearing down

aid, and the dog paused, though t

he beginning of an underground passage. He looked up; he could see above him the stars plain through a net of furze bushes. He sto

r, and so into the smugglers' cave itself, an enormous cavern as big as a church. Out of an opening

and near the stream

g, and uttering little dog moans of pure love and joy. For the dark something was Dickie, fast asleep. He was b

!" he said.

he man and woman?

hispered back. "They're in the further cave.

ed; "I've got a knife

ere too stiff. Edred rubbed his legs, while Dickie stretch

That was why they did not see a dark figure that came quietly creeping acr

SAID BOTH

ge

up, whispered, "It's all up-run. Neve

leap of the heart perceived that the dark

ined later. "You'd have known me a mile off by my

said both b

I've been behind you all the way, Edred. Don't tell me anything.

den, and told him Dickie was found and all about it, and he roused the house, and he and Beale and half-a-dozen men from the village went up

on him which the man-it was that redheaded ma

en when he had read the letter. "Of course we must look into

ame Dickie of Deptford, of owning this glorious castle, of being the master of an old name and an old place, this thought sang in his heart a very beautiful tune. Ye

le and the castle, and if they're yours I shall do very well without them again. You

things and shook the

else thought of putting the dog on the scent? Edred said that it was mostly True's doing. And the people praised his modesty. A

m of a fever, brought on by his anxiety about his friend and playmate. People

ew about the caves which none of the country people seemed to know of, I can only answer that I d

lay, shutting up a hole through which the stream had evidently once flowed out into the open air. It now flowed away

" said Edred. "It used to run that way.

d his father, who had a long blu