"It is a very serious question, you know," he added.

"Very serious," said Pansy, who heard him, shaking her wise, wee head.

Sitting by the camp fire there, with its lights and shadows chasing each
other over her face and through her sunny hair, Pansy looked a very
beautiful child indeed.

For some time they had all been sitting round the fire, watching the
curling smoke and the dancing flames, everyone intent on his or her own
thoughts. Aralia had been wondering what they were all doing at home, and
if her father and mother were anxious about her and Pansy. It was such a
long, long time--hundreds of years it seemed--since they had sailed away;
so many strange things had happened since that day. Pansy was a little
maiden who took the world very easily, and enjoyed each day and hour as
it passed. Her thoughts were hardly worth a penny. Frank was not unlike
Pansy, and took things as they came, and if they were not nice, just let
them slide. The mastiff was asleep, so was Veevee, and both seemed to be
dreaming, and talking in their dreams. But Flossy's eyes were very wide
open now. She was really wondering if she could catch another fish
to-night. Flossy had lately taken to waddling away towards evening for a
swim in the warm lake, and never came back without something in her
mouth.

So nobody was surprised when they missed her from the fire, only, as she
stayed rather longer to-night than usual, and as the long twilight would
soon end, Tom took up his rifle and went off all by himself to look for
her.

"Oh, dear!" cried Pansy, as the sound of a shot startled everyone in the