It was now night, and, under the dim light of a half-moon, the children, weary with the previous day’s exertion, lay down to rest. Nanny’s starry crown soon disappeared; nightingales struck up their thrilling notes, crickets chirped, soft airs whispered among the trees, little birds, with their heads under their wings, roosted in the boughs overhead, and the children soon fell fast asleep, safe under their Heavenly Father’s protection.
It was bright daylight ere the little ones opened their eyes. They soon recollected themselves, for at first they looked about, wondering where they were, and having risen and breakfasted on bread and honey, with a drink of milk, were not long in setting off again on their travels.
So far we have followed them. They had escaped without discovery, their daily wants had been supplied, and they trusted to be before long happy with their grandfather.
We shall not, however, be surprised to hear that, while they had been peacefully pursuing their way, there had been no small stir in their uncle’s house. When he found the children missing, he was almost beside himself with rage. What now would become of all his fine dreams for the future? They had already helped to fill his purse with gold, and he looked forward greedily to more gains in time to come. Find them he must. Inquiries were made in every direction, advertisements put in the public papers, bills pasted on the walls, police put on the search. What would he not do to get them back again? He himself drove out to the country; fortunately, however, or rather God so ordered it, he took the opposite direction to that which the children had taken.
Three days had passed, and the boys were beginning to be very weary and footsore.
In the evening they were wondering what to do, and where to go for the night, when they saw a large number of gentlemen and servants on horseback coming towards them. It was a hunting party returning home.
“Hallo! hallo!” cried one of them; “here’s some fine game. Why, these must be the runaway children about whom there has been such a hue and cry in Vienna. Hold! stop! you are caught,” he continued, addressing himself to the terrified little ones. “Come away with us, and to-morrow we will send you home.”
Nanny clasped her hands, and bursting into a flood of tears, exclaimed, “Please, sir, oh, please not to send us back to uncle!” and Hans, trembling in every limb, begged them to have pity.
Toni was the only one of the three who remained calm, saying in a cheerful voice to his sister, “Do not be frightened, Nanny; the good God knows all.”
By this time the rest of the party had come up, and among them a tall, elderly man with white hair, who smiled kindly on the children, and directed one of his servants to take them to the castle. They were accordingly lifted on to a truck that was conveying the game, the result of the day’s sport; their own little cart was slung on behind; and so they arrived at a beautiful house standing in a large park. Nanny and Hans, sobbing bitterly, with their little arms round one another, were seated on a roebuck. Toni, sitting opposite, looked so smiling, trying in his own quiet way to comfort them, that they at length began to look brighter and dried their tears.