"I'll walk back," he thought, "and in that way I'll save six cents out of the fares."
The walk being a long one, he was absent a considerable time, especially as he stopped for a while at an auction on Broadway. At last he reached his old stand, and was thinking of buying some evening papers, when he heard his name called in a tone of anxiety.
Turning suddenly, he recognized Miss Manning.
"Miss Manning!" he exclaimed, in surprise. "How do you happen to be here?"
"Has anything happened?" he asked anxiously, seeing the troubled expression of her countenance. "Nothing is the matter with Rose, is there?"
"Don't say that, Miss Manning. Tell me quick all about it."
"I sent her out on an errand this morning, just around the corner, for a spool of cotton, and she has not got back."
"She couldn't very well do that, it was so near by. No, Rufus, I am afraid she has been carried off by your stepfather."
"What makes you think so, Miss Manning?" demanded Rufus, in excitement.
"I waited half an hour after she went out, wondering what could keep her so long. Then I began to feel anxious, and put on my bonnet, and slipped downstairs into the street. I went round to the store, and found she had gone there and made the purchase, and gone away directly. I was wondering what to do next, when one of the neighbors came up, and said she saw Rose dragged away by a tall man. She gave me a description of him, and it corresponds exactly to the description of Mr. Martin. I am afraid, Rufus, that he has carried our dear little Rose away. What shall we do?"
"I'll have her back," said Rufus, energetically. "He's got her now; but he shan't keep her. But I'm afraid," he added, sorrowfully, "she'll be ill-treated before I can recover her, poor Rose!"
We return to Rose, who found herself very unwillingly once more in the custody of her stepfather.
"Go out and play in the back yard with Fanny," said Mrs. Waters. "You'll have a nice time together, and be good friends in less than no time."
Rose followed Fanny slowly into the back yard; but she had very little hope of a good time. She was too full of sorrowful thoughts for that. As she looked back, a moment after going into the yard, she saw Mr. Martin shaking his fist at her from the back window, and this she understood very well was a sign of the treatment which she had to expect.