Bridget had a weakness for puppies--as Jim knew; consequently, the concluding part of his information was not agreeable to her. "You have brought me the beautifullest puppy--and have lost him and can't find him! What d'ye mean by that, Jim? Can't you speak sense, so as a body may understand?" Jim supposed he had worded his communication imperfectly. "There's been a row here," he explained, "and it frighted me so that I dun know what I be saying. The master took his riding-whip to Mr. Rupert and horsewhipped him." "The master!" uttered the girl. "What! Mr. Chattaway?" "He come through the yard when I was with Mr. Rupert a-showing him the puppy, and they had words, and the master horsewhipped him. I stood round the corner frighted to death for fear Chattaway should see me. And Mr. Rupert must have dropped the puppy somewhere, but I can't find him." "Where is Mr. Rupert? How did it end?" "He dashed into the yard across to them palings, and leaped 'em clean," responded Jim. "And he'd not have cleared 'em with the puppy in his arms, so I know it must be somewhere about. And he a'most set that there rick a-fire first," the boy added, in a whisper, pointing in the direction of the particular rick, from which they had strayed in Jim's search. "I pretty nigh dropped when I saw it catch alight." Bridget felt awed, yet uncertain. "How could he set a rick a-fire, stupid?" she cried. "With the torch. I had lighted it to show him the puppy, and he had it in his hand; had it in his hand when Chattaway began to horsewhip him, but he dropped it then; and when Chattaway went away, Mr. Rupert picked it up and pushed it into the rick." "I don't like to hear this," said the girl, shivering. "Suppose the rick-yard had been set a-fire! Which rick was it? It mayn't----" "Just hush a minute, Bridget!" suddenly interrupted Jim. "There he is!" "There's who?" asked she, peering around in the darkness. "Not master!" "Law, Bridget! I meant the puppy. Can't you hear him? Them squeaks is his." Guided towards the sound, Jim at length found the poor little animal. It was lying close to the spot where Rupert had leaped the palings. The boy took it up, fondling it almost as a mother would fondle a child. "See his glossy skin, Bridget! feel how sleek it is! He'll lap milk out of a saucer now! I tried him----" A scream from Bridget. Jim seemed to come in for nothing but shocks to his nerves this evening, and almost dropped the puppy again. For it was a loud, shrill, prolonged scream, carrying a strange amount of terror as it went forth in the still night air.