He seemed quite willing to go. I told him good-by with a heart so light I could scarcely believe it the same one I had felt to be such a burden when I had set off for our walk two hours earlier. I busied myself then preparing a little supper against Julius's return; for we had not been able to eat since breakfast, and I knew by my own feelings that Julius would welcome the sight of a well-spread smoking table; and he said on his return that I "guessed just right."
He and Bruno had found the Nimrods very much disturbed over their dog's disappearance. Mr. Nimrod had just returned from an unsuccessful search, and they were wondering what to do next. They welcomed the wanderer, but were concerned, too, that he had discovered our dwelling-place.
"I'm afraid we'll have to keep him tied up now," said Mr. Nimrod.
Julius thought not, and said,—
"Now that he knows where we are, and can come for a glimpse of us now and then, I believe he'll be better contented than he was when he thought we'd left the country."
Better contented he certainly was, but he positively refused to stay at home. It soon came to be a regular thing for Julius to escort him back every evening.
The Nimrods lived nearly a mile from us, so Julius did not lack for exercise.
Mr. Nimrod finally came to remonstrate with us.
"You ought to shut him out," he cried, "then he'd have to come back home."
For answer, Julius showed him certain long, deep scratches on our handsome new doors, adding,—