THE WALK. 31

 

Talk about the brook. A fox! a fox! Phonny’s disappointment.

Malleville stood still a moment and pictured in her
imagination a small stream like that from the nose of a
pump, coming down out of the sky on the top of a hill
to form the beginning of the brook.

At length she turned round upon the plank and looked
down the stream.

«“ And where does the water go to? ” said she.

“Why this brook,’’ said Caroline, “runs down into the
mill-pond. This path will bring us to the shore of the
mill-pond in a little while.”

So Caroline walked on, Malleville and Phonny ac-
companying her. ‘The path ascended beyond the brook,
winding along in a very pleasant manner among rocks
and trees.

At length, after walking along for some little distance,
Malleville saw something before her in the path which
looked like a wild animal.

“Why Phonny,” exclaimed Caroline, “ look there.
What is that? ”

“A fox! a fox!” cried Phonny, very much excited.
“ Hush! Caroline! see! there’s a fox!”

“No, it is not,” he added immediately afterward in a
disappointed tone. “It is nothing but a dog.”

The dog looked up a moment at the party of strangers
which he saw coming toward him—standing still while
he did so,in the middle of the path—-and then turned
and ran away. The children followed him. The dog
soon came to a fence, and creeping under the fence,
came out into a road.

“ Why here is a road,” said Malleville.

“Yes,” said Caroline, “we are going along that road a