“No, not yet. Of course he will have to be told,” said Mrs. Martin. “But your father thought Mr. Keller had better tell Mr. Narr himself. So your father has telephoned to Mr. Keller to come over to our cottage. Mr. Keller is on his way now, I think, to meet his employer.”
“And will he get discharged, Mother?” asked Janet.
“I don’t know, my dear. But I came to tell you that I think it isn’t of any use to look longer for the lost things.”
“Why not?” Ted asked, digging feverishly in the sand.
“Because I don’t believe you’ll find them. They must either have been washed out to sea, or some one has picked them up and taken them away. Yes, William,” she said to the little fellow, “you may play in the sand. But don’t go far away.”
She put him down on the beach, and Trouble began walking about, stopping now and then to dig with a stick.
“Well, I don’t guess we’re going to find them,” said Teddy, with a sigh. “We’ve looked hard, haven’t we, Jan?”
“Terrible hard,” answered the little girl, with a sigh even more sorrowful than the one her brother emitted.
“It can’t be helped,” said Mrs. Martin. “Mr. Narr will soon know the truth—that Mr. Keller has lost his keys. Perhaps, after all, Mr. Narr will be kind and overlook the loss.”
“He was kind to us,” said Teddy. “He gave us something to eat.”