But this dog, though he barked in a friendly fashion, and wagged his
tail as a flag of truce, would not come nearer. He sniffed in the
direction of the girls and then, with another bark, turned and ran
out toward the entrance door.
"Come on!" called Alice. "It has stopped raining, Ruth, and maybe
that dog will follow us home. He'll be fine protection!"
Ruth was not at all averse to having some sort of guardian on the
walk through the lonely woods, but when she and Alice reached the
outer room the dog, with a last look back, and a farewell bark,
trotted off across the glade in the direction taken by the strange
man with the umbrella.
"He's gone!" exclaimed Alice, in disappointment. "Come back!" she
invited. "Come back, sir!" and she whistled in boyish fashion. But
the dog was not to be enticed, and was soon lost in the woods.
"Maybe he belonged to that man," suggested Ruth, "and came here
looking for him. What sort of a dog was it, Alice?"
"A collie. The same kind Mrs. Delamont lost in the train wreck, you
know."
"Oh, maybe it was her prize animal, Alice!"
"How could it be? He was lost a good way from here. But it looked to
be a fine dog. Shall we go home, now?"
"Yes," agreed Ruth. "We can't get much wetter, and I don't want to
stay here any longer.
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