Rodolphus knew that he could not trust to such a promise, and so he would not come. Mr. Linn seemed more perplexed than ever. He began to be seriously angry with the boy, and he resolved, that as soon as he could catch him, he would punish him severely: but he saw that it was useless to attempt to pursue him. Rodolphus looked toward the house, and there he saw his mother standing at the kitchen-door, laughing. He held up the quarter of a dollar toward her, between his thumb and finger, and laughed too. “If you don’t come down, I shall come up there after you,” said Mr. Linn. “You can’t catch me, if you do,” said Rodolphus. Mr. Linn began to ascend the rocks. Rodolphus, however, who was, of course, more nimble than his father, went on faster than his father could follow. He passed over the highest portion, of the hill, and then clambered down upon the other side, to the road. He crossed the road, and then began climbing down the bank, toward the shore. He had often been up and down that path before, and he accordingly descended very quick and very easily. When he reached the shore, he went out to the flat rock, and there stopped and turned round to look at his father. Mr. Linn was standing on the brink of the cliff, preparing to come down. “Stop,” said Rodolphus to his father. “If you come down, I will throw the quarter of a dollar into the water.” So saying, Rodolphus extended his hand as if he were about to throw the money off, into the stream. [Illustration.] The Pursuit. Mrs. Linn and Annie had come out from the house, to see how Mr. Linn’s pursuit of the fugitive would end; but instead of following Rodolphus and his father over the rocks, they had come across the road to the little gate, where they could see the flat rock on which Rodolphus was standing, and his father on the cliffs above. Mrs. Linn stood in the gateway. Annie had come forward, and was standing in the path, at the head of the steps. When she saw Rodolphus threatening to throw the money into the river, she seemed very much concerned and distressed. She called out to her brother, in a very earnest manner. “Rodolphus! Rodolphus! That is my father’s quarter of a dollar. You _must not_ throw it away.” “I _will_ throw it away,” said Rodolphus, “and I’ll jump into the water myself, in the deepest place that I can find, if he won’t let me have it to buy my rabbit with.” “I would let him have it, husband,” said Mrs. Linn, “if he wants it so very much. I don’t care much about it, on the whole. I don’t think the rabbit will be any great trouble.”