You will have a school holiday to-morrow, so no lessons need be learned to-night.

We shall have to do the store work while Father is ill, so you and Miles will have to be satisfied with night school with the men instead of having lessons in the day." "Hooray!" chirruped Phil, who had no love of learning, but always yearned for action.

Then he asked anxiously: "Couldn't you stay in and look after things to-night, while I go and help Miles with the outside work ?" Katherine laughed and shook her head.

"No, no, the outside work would be too heavy for you to-night; you might even get your nose frozen.

But you must stay up until we come back, because Nellie may need you to help her." "I'll stay," replied the boy, but he manifested so much curiosity about the nature of the outside work that had to be done that Katherine had finally to command him to stay inside the house.
Neither she nor Miles wished anyone to know what they were going to do: there were so many reasons for keeping their errand secret.
Mrs.Burton would have wept and wailed at the mere thought of such a journey at night, while Phil simply could not keep a secret.
The dogs were tired and sleepy, very unwilling to be turned out and harnessed again, but directly they were fairly out of their shed the cold seemed to rouse them, and they set off at a great pace.
Katherine and Miles were riding in the empty sledge now, with their snowshoes tucked in beside them.