"Between Kathie and her I've had a pretty hard morning; I'm doing my
very best, but nobody seems to think so." She gave her head a proud
toss, but I could see there were tears in her eyes. I didn't know what
to say, so I just patted her hand, and then got my hat and went for
the doctor.
It was a lovely day, and I didn't suppose there was any need for me to
hurry back, so I took a walk, and didn't get home for a good while after
leaving my message at the doctor's.
Before I had time to ring the bell, Nora opened the front door; she
looked very much excited, and asked breathlessly, "Did you meet them?
Have you seen them?"
Of course I didn't understand. "Meet whom? What d'you mean?" I asked
in surprise.
"The children. Then they are _lost!_" answered Nora, and she sat down on
a chair in the hall and burst out crying. Then out came Phil and Felix
from the drawing-room, where they had been with Nora, and I heard the
whole story.
It seems that soon after I left for the doctor's, Judge went down stairs
and asked cook for some gingerbread,--"enough for the four of us," he
said,--and some time later, when Nora went up to the schoolroom to see
what the children were doing, not one of them was there, nor could they
be found in the house.
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