At once Splash and Dix stopped playing and ran to the little boy.  As his mother had said, Bunny knew how to talk to dogs in a way they could understand.

“Go on home!” said the little boy again, very earnestly.

Splash looked up in surprise.  He was not used to being sent home.

“Oh, I don’t mean you,” said Bunny.  “I mean you, Dix!  Mother says we like you very much, and would like to have you with us, but your folks want you home with them.  So go on back.  Go home, I say!”

Bunny stamped his foot, spoke as sternly as he could without being too cross, and pointed back toward Bellemere.

Dix looked into Bunny’s face a minute, and then slowly the dog’s tail drooped between his legs and he slunk off, with what was really a sad face looking at Bunny and Splash.  It was as if he said: 

“Say, look here, Splash!  I thought you invited me on this excursion, and now that boy of yours goes and drives me home.”

“Well, I can’t help it,” Splash seemed to say.  “There is something wrong somewhere.”

Bunny felt sad at having to drive Dix back home.

“I’m sorry, old fellow,” he said, and his voice was so kind that Dix turned and came running back.

“No!  No!  You mustn’t do that!” cried Bunny, seeing what his kind words had done.  “Go on back home, Dix!”

Once again Dix’s tail drooped between his legs, and he turned back.  He went on for some distance, never turning to look back.

“There, I guess he’ll not follow us any more,” said Bunny.  “Come on, Splash.  You get up in the automobile and ride with us.  Then Dix won’t see you, and want to come along.”

Bunny led his own dog back to the big car, Splash going willingly enough, though once or twice he looked back at Dix, who was walking slowly the homeward road.

Again the auto started off.

“This is two delays we’ve had,” said Mr. Brown.  “If we have another I’ll begin to think there is something in Mary’s idea of bad luck, after all.”

It was Sue who discovered Dix the next time.  As the automobile was about to go around a curve the little girl gazed out of the back window and saw the Ward dog trotting happily along toward the moving automobile.

“Oh, Daddy, look there!” cried Sue.  “Dix is coming after us again!  What are we going to do?”

“Is that dog following us once more?” asked Mr. Brown, as he stopped the automobile.

“Yes, he is; and he seems happy.”

“Oh dear!” said Mrs. Brown.  “What trouble these dogs are giving us to-day!”

“Well, this is the third trouble, and let us hope it will be the last,” said Mr. Brown.

“Are you going to send Dix back again?” asked Bunny.

“No, I don’t think it would do any good.  Besides, we are now about ten miles from home.  He might not find his way.”

“That would be too bad,” said Mrs. Brown.  “The Wards would not want to lose their dog.”