"See how it goes up and down the hills but keeps straight," Dickie said. "Let's go and walk on it. You promised that we could, Mr Cantor," and he dashed off down the hill with Mary and Macbeth at his heels. Not until they had scrambled through the dead, brown bracken in the great ditch did they realize that Mr Cantor was no longer with them.

"P'raps we'll see him when we get to the top," Mary gasped as she pulled herself up the steep sides of the bank, but when they reached the top and looked back at the two fir trees there was no sign of their guide.

"He's vanished, Mary. Or do you think he's tricked us? But where could he go?"

Before Mary could answer Macbeth yelped excitedly from somewhere below them.

"Come here, Mackie," Dickie called. "You know you can never catch rabbits. Come here!"

But Mackie barked again and again, and Mary said, "I don't think it's a rabbit, Dickie. He sounds as if he's found something. Let's go down and see."

"It's more fun up here," Dickie complained. "Don't worry about him, Mary. He'll find us when he's ready... I wish I knew where old Cantor has gone. He's much more important."

"And why is old Cantor so important, may I inquire?" said a voice behind them, and they both reddened with shame as they turned and saw that their companion must have climbed the other side of the bank while they were calling Macbeth. He stood still, looking at them very seriously, and they both agreed later that he had really been very decent about Dickie's rudeness. Mary started to make some sort of lame excuse and then the dog started barking again and Mr Cantor said quietly, "Never mind that, Mary. What has your dog found? He sounds excited."

His voice sounded different. Firmer, more definite and not so much the voice of the elderly gentleman.

Dickie started to apologize. "I'm really very sorry."

"All right, Dickie" - and for the first time he said, Dickie and not Richard - "never mind that. Just run down there and see what's the matter with your dog."

The twins glanced at each other and obeyed. Mackie was still barking and as they turned in his direction Mary said suddenly, "Look, Dickie. This is funny. There's a little path here... I mean it looks as if it's been used a lot. It's quite smooth."

"I wonder why there's a path here?" Dickie said. "P'raps Mackie has found something after all... I say, Mary, is Mr Cantor" - and he said Mister Cantor this time - "is Mr Cantor still there? Don't let's both look. You look."

Mary glanced back. "Yes, he is. He's standing still watching us. I'll wave."