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 We must just take care of these boys as well as we can, till they're ready to leave us an' go ahead on their journey. An', by the way, Mr. Touchtone says they'd ought to get some sort of word to their friends right away, just as soon as we see how that boy is when he wakes. Of course they'd ought! So I advise you, after you been over the place, an' done up all those chores old Murtagh's kindly left for you, to get the boat ready for early to-morrow morning, when you can hurry over to Chantico."

Obed hastened off, his Sunday go-to-meeting clothes exchanged for his every-day array, and disappeared down the garden with the chickens trooping after him in joyful expectancy; Mrs. Probasco kept at work, now and then slipping in to consult Touchtone or calling him to her.

Daylight began to wane. Gerald slept on, occasionally appearing to be just on the point of awakening, but always drifting back into sounder sleep again. Numerous, and with many hurried and whispered paragraphs of further explanation and questions and answers, were the interviews between Philip and his bustling hostess during the remnant of time