When he went for his constitutional that day he was still chuckling at the absurd story his paper would have had him believe.

Wasps indeed--killing a dog! Incidentally as he passed by the site of that first crop of puff-balls he remarked that the grass was growing very rank there, but he did not connect that in any way with the matter of his amusement.

"We should certainly have heard something of it," he said; "Whitstable can't be twenty miles from here." Beyond he found another puff-ball, one of the second crop, rising like a roc's egg out of the abnormally coarsened turf.
The thing came upon him in a flash.
He did not take his usual round that morning.

Instead he turned aside by the second stile and came round to the Caddles' cottage.

"Where's that baby ?" he demanded, and at the sight of it, "Goodness me!" He went up the village blessing his heart, and met the doctor full tilt coming down.