WITH CARL OF THE HILL 41 



must have popped his round head out of the grass 

 tufts wondering at the brightness of this new sunbeam 

 that fell across the path. Yes, Sunlight was very, very 

 happy. Every moment she expected to see her 

 father come riding round a turn in the path, and she 

 laughed as she thought how surprised and pleased he 

 would be to find his little daughter come to meet 

 him ; and how he would catch her to the saddle and 

 she would ride with him home. 



Presently she found a little bird — a crested tit- x IS 



mouse — that had a broken wing. And thinking she 

 would take it home and make it well, she picked it up 

 and held it very gently so as not to hurt its wing. 



But Sunlight in reality had wandered much farther 

 than she had ever been before alone. And now, 

 with head bent down, and crooning to the bird, 

 she took, quite unawares, a narrow side track — one of 

 the paths of the forest creatures. And coming to a 

 huge tree limb that crossed the path, one end on the 

 ground, the other reared up among the undergrowth of 

 the opposite side, she stooped beneath it. 



Meanwhile the boys had come back to the clearing. 

 They were surprised at first at not finding Sunlight 

 there. And for some little time they ran about look- 

 ing for her and shouting out her name. But getting 



