Dick o the Fens | Page 7

are we going right home with you?"
"I suppose so," said Tom. "There's the light. Old Boggy'll hear us directly. I thought so. Here he comes."
There was a deep angry bark at a distance, and this sounded nearer, and was followed by the rustling of feet, ending in a joyous whining and panting as a great sheep-dog raced up to the boys, and began to leap and fawn upon them, but only to stop suddenly, stand sniffing the air in the direction of the old priory, and utter an uneasy whine.
"Hey, boy! what's the matter?" said Tom.
"He smells that fox," said Dick triumphantly. "I say, I wish we'd had him with us. There! he's got wind of him. I wish it wasn't so dark, and we'd go back and have a run."
"Have a run! have a swim, you mean," said Tom. "Why, that was in one of the wettest places between here and your house. I say, how plainly you can hear the sea!"
"Of course you can, when the wind blows off it," said Dick, as he listened for a moment to the dull low rushing sound. "Your mother has put two candles in the window."
"She always does when father's out. She's afraid he might get lost in the bog."
"So did my mother once; but it made father cross, and he said, next time he went out she was to tie a bit of thread to his arm, and hold the end, and then he would be sure to get home all right. Why, there's a jack-o'-lantern on the road."
"That isn't a jacky-lantern," replied Tom, looking steadfastly first at the two lights shining out in the distance, and then at a dim kind of star which seemed to be jerking up and down.
"Tell you it is," said Dick shortly.
"Tell you it isn't," cried Tom. "Jacky-lanterns are never lame. They never hop up and down like that, but seem to glide here and there like a honey-bee. It's our Joe come to meet us with the horn lantern. It's his game leg makes it go up and down."
"Dick!" came from ahead.
"Yes, father," shouted the lad; and they ran on to where the squire and Farmer Tallington were awaiting them.
"We'll say `good-night' now," said the squire. "Here, Dick, Farmer's Joe is coming on with the lantern. Shall we let him light us home?"
"Why, we should have to see him home afterwards, father," said Dick merrily.
"Right, my lad! Good-night, Tallington! You are in for your two hundred, mind."
"Yes, and may it bring good luck to us!" said the fanner. "Good-night to both of you!"
"Good-night!"
Dick supplemented his "good-night" with a pat on the head of the great sheep-dog, which stood staring along the track, and snuffing the wind; and then he and his father started homeward.
"I shall come over directly after breakfast, Dick," shouted Tom.
"All right!" replied Dick as he looked back, to see that the lantern had now become stationary, and then it once more began to dance up and down, while the two lights shone out like tiny stars a few hundred yards away.
"They've got the best of it, Dick," said the squire. "Why, we were nearly there. Let's make haste or your mother will be uneasy. Phew! the wind's getting high!"
CHAPTER THREE.
A STORMY NIGHT.
It was a tremendous blast which came sweeping over the sea, and quite checked the progress of the travellers for the moment, but they pressed on, seeming to go right through the squall, and trudging along sturdily towards home.
"I begin to wish someone had put a light in the window for us, Dick," said the squire at the end of a few minutes' walking. "It's getting terribly dark."
Dick said, "Yes," and thought of the thread, but he made no allusion to it, only laughed to himself and tramped on.
"By the way, how uneasy that dog seemed!" said the squire as they trudged on with heads bent, for they were facing the blast now.
"Yes, father; we passed a fox."
"Passed a fox! Why, you couldn't see a fox a dark night like this."
"No, but I could smell him, father, and we heard him catch a duck."
"Ah! I see. And did the dog scent out the fox?"
"Yes, I think so, and that made him whine."
"Come along, my lad. Let's get on as fast as we can. It's growing blacker, and I'm afraid we shall have some rain."
No rain fell, but the sky was completely clouded over and the darkness seemed to grow more and more intense. The wind kept increasing in violence and then dying out, as if it came in huge waves which swept over them and had a great interval between, while as the rush and roar of the gusts passed there came the deep hoarse murmur of the distant sea.
"Dick," said the squire suddenly, "you are so young that