After breakfast, it was discovered that Clyde was missing. He had been put in the summer kitchen for the night, and the door had been left open. The whole household called him, and searched for him, except Mr. Le Bras; but nothing could be heard or seen of him. A sudden suspicion flashed upon the mind of Mrs. Le Bras; and she said, in a low tone, to her husband, "Do you know where Clyde is?"
"The fewer questions you ask me, the better," he replied; and she said no more.
"If he is not found by to-night," said Felix, "I shall have an advertisement put in the paper."
"That would be of no use," replied Mrs. Le Bras; "since his name, you say, was on his collar, with the words, 'Owned by F. Le Bras.' As your uncle is the only man by the name of Le Bras in town, and F. is his first initial, any one who found him accidentally would bring him here."
"While, if he was taken intentionally from the shed during the night, as I have no doubt he was, the person who took him does not mean to return him," added Mr. Le Bras.
"Then, I must have another dog," replied Felix.
"Very well," said his uncle: "if you do not find Clyde by the time we go to the seaside, you shall have another; but I think, while you are in town, you can get on very well without a dog, provided Clyde does not find his way back."
"He would have woke us all up if the thief had not muzzled him," said Felix.
"I presume he was muzzled," replied Mr. Le Bras. "This is a bad neighborhood for dogs; I have no idea that you could keep a dog safe here a week; there is a great prejudice in this neighborhood against dogs."
Mr. Le Bras then turned the conversation by saying to his wife, "You remember Pierre was to stay here while his folks are away?"