Three or four people from a neighboring family came in, and a little impromptu dance was got up.

So the evening passed pleasantly, and at half-past ten they went to bed, Phil sleeping in a little room adjoining that in which the brothers Edwin and Harry slept.
After breakfast the next morning Phil left the house, with a cordial invitation to call again when he happened to be passing.
Before proceeding with his adventures, we must go back to Pietro.
He, as we know, failed to elicit any information from Paul likely to guide him in his pursuit of Phil.

He was disappointed.

Still, he reflected that Phil had but a quarter of an hour's start of him--scarcely that, indeed--and if he stopped to play anywhere, he would doubtless easily find him.

There was danger, of course, that he would turn off somewhere, and Pietro judged it best to inquire whether such a boy had passed.
Seeing two boys playing in the street, he inquired: "Have you seen anything of my little brother ?" "What does he look like ?" inquired one.
"He is not quite so large as you.