with great care and stateliness commenced his progress homewards. It is
said that a white elephant will not allow any one to ride upon him who
is not of royal descent, and then the king of beasts steps on with full
consciousness of the honour of his kingly burthen; but what could his
pride be, compared with that of Nero's, as the faithful creature
stepped on and on with his infant rider? It was not, after all, so slow
a progress as might have been imagined, and as it is believed the dog
followed the scent of the child's footsteps, he naturally went up the
lane the little one had trod that morning. On arriving where the road
divided, Nero was, however, no longer at a loss, for he knew which
direction his own home lay, and Nero was not likely to be tempted
elsewhere than home, for if he could have reasoned he would have said,
in as strong terms as nurse herself could have used, that Reuben had
better be at home than anywhere else whilst he was so young. Nero, as I
said, now knew the road, for he had often accompanied the different
members of Mr. Mortimer's family when they went to visit Mr. Jameson's,
and how carefully, on account of his young rider, did he step on his way
towards home.

And now I could say a great deal upon the fidelity of Nero, the
trustfulness of Reuben, and the useful lesson the little one was
learning; but I am anxious to speak of Marten and nurse, and all those
who loved the child and trembled for his loss. And yet I cannot talk of
their distress, the deep deep remorse of Marten, his full and complete
acknowledgment of his own carelessness and ignorance of himself, so that
nurse could not even say one word to him, though her tears and sobs were
a deep reproach. No, I cannot speak of this, I would rather tell of how
in the midst of all this trouble, tears were changed to smiles, and even
laughter took the place of sobs, when Reuben came riding into the court
yard tired, cold, and hungry, it is true, but no little important at his