It must have rusted there from
the old days till my poor dog by some accident had released it. I saw
that there were bones by it--the bones of some poor wild creature,
doubtless, who had perished in it, and the bones had no doubt acted as
a warning to the others.
As I knelt down Dido licked my face frantically, being quite sure I was
going to release her. But that was not so easy. Pull as I would I could
not bring the teeth of the trap apart.
"I shall have to go for help, Dido," I said, after a few minutes,
trusting to her sense to understand. But as I rose to go and she saw
that I was leaving her, she began immediately a loud, almost hysterical
barking, interspersed with little piteous moans and whimpers which were
most painful to hear.
I did not know what to do, so I began to cry myself, and then I knelt
down beside her and began again my useless effort to release her.
The sun by now was sinking low, although there would be light for an
hour or two yet. I guessed that it must be seven o'clock, and I knew
that my grandmother would be uneasy about me, and that presently my
grandfather would have to be told, and the whole household would be
anxious. What was I to do? I could not even think that they would come
this way looking for me, since they had not known of my intention of
coming home by Daly's Wood and the postern.
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