“I’m sure he’s captured, I’m sure he’s captured,” she repeated over and over again, until she made the Villain believe it and he began to cry, too.

“Here, this will never do,” said the Villain, getting up.  “I’ll go back and see if I can find him.”

“No, no!” cried Sweetclover.  “You’ll be caught too, and then what will I do?” So he stayed with her.

Presently they were aroused by the barking of a dog and, looking about, discovered that they were sitting on the terrace of a big house all about which were fields of flowers and grain.  And the dog, a big mastiff, came toward them.  Sweetclover put out a friendly hand and said, “Nice Fido.”

“Don’t call me Fido,” said the dog, “my name is Napoleon.”

“Oh, excuse me,” said Sweetclover, “I didn’t know.”

“That’s all right,” said Napoleon with a stately bow.  “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“I’m afraid not,” said Sweetclover.  “My friend here,” and she turned to the Villain, “and I have been separated from Kernel Cob and we are anxious to find him.  You didn’t see him pass by, did you?”

“No,” said Napoleon, “that I didn’t.”

“Oh dear,” sighed Sweetclover, “night is coming on and we have nowhere to go.”

“If you will give me a few minutes,” said Napoleon, with a courteous wave of his paw in the direction of his house, “I will put my humble home at your disposal.”

“We cannot think of disturbing you,” said Sweetclover.

“It will be no trouble whatever,” he said.  “If I can be of any service to you, it will give me much pleasure.”

And so they followed him, as he walked away with great dignity, to his kennel.

“What, may I enquire, has brought you to this neighborhood?” he asked as they arrived at his house.

“You see,” explained Sweetclover, “we were captured by a very wicked Showman and made to act with him in his puppet-show, so we ran away.”

“Have you been long in Valparaiso?” he asked.  And she told him her story.  How they had been to the moon in search of Jackie and Peggs’ motheranfather, and so on, till the moment when he had met them on the road.

“Very, very interesting, I am sure,” he said, “and I wish I could help you in finding Jackie and Peggs’ motheranfather, but I think you must be tired, so if you will lie down here I will sleep outside and protect you from any danger.”

So Sweetclover and the Villain entered his house, which was very nicely covered with straw and made a very comfortable place to sleep in, and in a few minutes were fast asleep.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER X

In the morning, the sun was shining brightly and looking out of the door of Napoleon’s house they were overjoyed to see Kernel Cob walking toward them, for the field in which he had slept was the one next to where Napoleon lived.