To poor Dick, who had crept up so close that he stood beside her, this was too much.  At the sound of her distress he was so overcome, he could no longer keep his feelings under restraint.  A bark broke from him, eager, coaxing, half frightened; then, repentant and ashamed, he thrust his hot nose into Huldah’s hand, and licked it apologetically.

Weary, dead-beat as she was, Huldah sprang up into a sitting position.  “Dick!” she cried, “oh, Dick!  How did you come here?  Oh, I am so glad, so glad!” and flinging her arms round his long yellow neck she burst into happy tears.  Dick was delighted.  Instead of being scolded, he was petted, and his little mistress was plainly glad to see him.  He was as hungry as she was, and very nearly as tired, but nothing mattered to him now.

“Oh, Dick, how did you come? and, oh, won’t they beat us if they catch us! and—­and oh, I hope they won’t beat poor old Charlie worse than ever, because they are angry.  Oh, I do wish Charlie was here too.  Poor old Charlie! he will be so lonely.”

Dick wagged his tail and looked about him.  Perhaps he was thinking that Charlie might have been able to find something to eat in that bare spot, but that it was more than they could.  Huldah realised this too, and with a sigh she scrambled on to her aching feet again.  She must find somebody to help them—­a house and food of some kind.

“You shall lead the way this time, Dick.  You are clever, and can scent things out.  You’ll know which way to go to find houses.”

It took Dick a little while to understand that he was expected to run ahead now, not to follow, and indeed it is doubtful if he did understand it, but a rabbit popping up ahead of them at that moment drew him on, and Huldah more slowly followed.  It was a very zig-zag way that Dick took them, for he was intent on finding rabbits, not houses, but, fortunately, it led them at last to a house, too.

The sun was going down in a crimson glory, and a mistiness was creeping up over the land on all sides, when, to her great relief, Huldah saw the welcome sight of smoke rising out of chimneys, then other signs of life, and presently came to a farm standing in the middle of a large yard.  The yard seemed very full of animals, and where there were no animals there were hay-ricks and corn, and empty upturned carts and waggons.

It was a lonely-looking place in that evening light, and the melancholy mooing of the cows, the good-night cluckings of the hens, the bleating of the sheep, seemed to add to the desolateness.  As Huldah and Dick drew nearer, another and more terrifying sound arose, and that was the barking of dogs.  Dogs sprang up from everywhere, or so it seemed to poor little Huldah, and, forgetting the coming night, her hunger and everything else, she fled from the place, shrieking to Dick to follow her.