"You shall have no cause to regret admitting us, we promise that."
There was still a little pause of indecision, and then a bolt was drawn, and the door opened. The two boys saw in the doorway a pleasant-faced girl of fourteen, whose eyes fell upon them not without a shade of anxiety. But when she saw that the two visitors were boys not much older than herself, there was a look of relief, and she said: "I will trust you. Come in if you like. Hush, Bruno!"
This was addressed to a large shepherd dog that stood beside her, eying them suspiciously.
A weight seemed lifted from the hearts of the two boys, as they caught sight of the comfortable interior of the hut. On the one side of the room was a large open fireplace, on which a good fire was burning. The flickering flames helped illumine the apartment, and diffused a home-like air, which was most grateful to the two tired wanderers.
"You are very kind to admit us," said Harry. "You have no idea how great a favor it is."
"I would have let you in before, but I thought you might be bushrangers," said the girl.
"We don't look much like bushrangers, do we?" said Harry with a smile.
The girl smiled too. She was evidently pleased with the appearance of her two visitors.
"No; if I had seen you, I should have known better than to think you belonged to their band. Come in and sit down by the fire."
"Thank you."