As he walked he thought he heard the cry of an animal in pain. Peter was passionately fond of living creatures, be they insects, birds, or beasts, and the sound that he heard was undoubtedly the yelp of a suffering dog. He ran in the direction from which it proceeded, and very soon, upon turning a corner in the road, came upon two boys who were engaged in torturing a dog which they had tied to the fence rail. Before they knew what had happened, one boy was rolling in the ditch by the side of the road, and the other was being pommelled and shaken by an infuriated person, who had apparently sprung out of the ground, so unexpectedly had his presence become known to them. At first the surprise completely paralyzed the boys, one of whom was larger than Peter, the other smaller; but they soon recovered themselves, and it would undoubtedly have gone hard with the aggressor had he not been suddenly reinforced by help from the most unlooked-for quarter. The boy whom Peter had met in front of the provision store, had been eating his bread and apples not far from the scene of the fight. Hearing the sound of a scuffle, he ran down the road, and saw at once that his late benefactor was evidently getting the worst of it. Gratitude, added to the food which Peter had given him, gave strength to the newcomer, and in a few moments the victory was won. The two young ruffians were prostrate in the road, and Peter walked away with the injured dog in his arms, accompanied by his new friend. CHAPTER VI. PETER’S NEW ACQUAINTANCES. WHEN Victoria and Sophy reached the house after their conversation with Peter, they found Honor and Katherine still struggling with the parlor curtains. Two windows were finished, and Katherine was in the act of mounting the step-ladder at the third, when her younger sisters appeared. At the same moment Blanch thrust her head in the doorway at the back of the hall. “I forgot to tell yers,” said she, “there ain’t no bread in the house for supper.” “Oh, Blanch!” cried Honor, turning to look at her, while she steadied the ladder. “Why didn’t you tell me before?” “I never thought of it. I thought yers’d know it yerselves.” “How could we know it? I can’t spend all my time looking into the bread-box, and I had no idea the last baking would have given out so soon. You will have to make some biscuits or some corn bread.” “I ain’t never made any. Of course I know how to make ’em, but as I ain’t never made any, yers mightn’t like ’em.” “Very well,” replied Honor, with as much majesty of demeanor as she could assume when embracing a step-ladder. “I will show you how presently.” Though Honor was not as tall as Katherine, and was very slight, she could be extremely dignified when she chose. Blanch’s head disappeared, and the door closed with a bang. “Why, Honor, do you know how yourself?” asked Victoria.