Year: 1875




Estelle stayed longer gathering berries than
she had intended, and, halffrightened at last
at the thought of the punishment which might
possibly be awaiting her, she hastened back
to the spot where she had left Carrie, hoping
to get back to the house, at least, before Mr..
and Mrs. Blandford's return.


What was her dismay. on reaching the bend
in the road, where she had parted from her
little payfellow, to find no one there.


"She must have gone home," she solilo-
quized; "and now she'll tell on me, the little
good -for-nothing I wanted to tell first"


She ran on to the gate, doubling not that
she would find Carrie either in the garden or
house. But just as she was standing on tiptoe
trying to lift the heavy latch, the gate was
suddenly pushed against her, with such force
as almost to throw her down, and old Dinah
confronted her with a face of mingled terror
and wrath.


"God Almighty! you miserable little cree
tur, where's my chile ?" she painted, clutching
the terrified Estele's shoulder, in vice-like
grip. So confounded was she by the abrupt
ness and unexpected nature of this address,
that she was, for a moment, actually struck
dumb, and stood staring at her interlocutor
without attempting to open her lips.


"Speakw almost shrieked Dinah, empha-
sizing the command by shake which made
the child's teeth chatter On an ordinary oc-
casion she would not have ventured to treat
her so unceremoniously, but excitement and
fright blew her selfcommand to the winds.


Speak Where's Missy? Amt she wild
you, out here p


"N.n.no," stammered Estelle; the word
being shaken out of her, as it were, by main
force.


"In the Lords name, then, where is she?"
gasped the dismayed nurse. "She amt no
where in the house."


81 don't know where she is," said Estele,
more boldly; for in that moment she rapidly
revolved the situation in her mind, ond deci
ded that if it were possible, by profession of
total ignorance to divest herself of her share
of the blame, she would not scruple to tell
any untruth for the attainment of this end


"Where did you last see herr" was the
next question.


"She was in the nursery -and-and I ran
out here cause was tired of the house-but
didn't mean to do any harm"


Didn't she come with you?'


"No," said Estelle, at venture, not know
ing whether she was forwarding her own in
terest in making the denial, or not. Should
the falsehood be proved against her, she could
get round it by saying that Carrie must have
followed her, or by some similar prevarication.


DiDah wanted to hear no more, but rushed
frantically off to pursue her quest in another
direction. Soon the whole place was astir,
all the domestics joining in the search, and
great was the commotion caused among them
by the knowledge that "little Missy" had dis
appeared. In the midst Of it all Mr.. and
Mrs Bandford returned from their drive and
their distress and alarm on receipt of the as
founding news may be better imagined than
described At first they could not be persua-
ded that the child was actually gone, but
were quite sure that she must be found some
where about the premises, where the negroes
had not had the wit to think of looking; but
when every chamber and closet in the house
had been explored, and every nook and corner
in the yard and surrounding fields visited,
they were forced to accept the conclusion that
she had, by some mysterious means, really and
truly vanished from the place.


Itwas impossible that such little creature
could, unaided and alone, have wandered very
far; and when every expedition in search of
her had proved fruitless, the heart-rending
conviction forced itselfupon their minds that
she must either have been stolen away, or
come to her end by some fatal accident. The
first conjecture seemed most impossible, the
last was too horrible to be realized yet hat