All she could do was to clutch his collar with all her strength, and hurry away as fast as she could go.
All thoughts of the village people's looks and remarks were gone from her mind now.

She was shaking with nervousness and excitement and fears for Dick, and could think of nothing else.
How she did her errands she never knew, for the scare had driven almost everything else out of her head, her one idea being to hurry home as quickly as possible, and get herself and Dick into safety.
The men were strangers to her, and she hoped they would never find out where she and Dick lived.
All the way back until she got past the gateway she still clutched Dick by the collar, much to his surprise and annoyance, for there was much to interest him on a walk like that, and he had quite forgotten his anger and the strangers who had aroused it.
When they had got safely past the dreaded gateway, Huldah's fears calmed down a little.
The men had departed, and all the road ahead of them looked empty.
"You may run now, Dickie," she said, with a sigh of relief, "and don't go getting into any more rows, for I can't bear it." Dick, with a joyous flick of his tail and a bark of delight, bounded forward delightedly, and Huldah, free at last to attend to other things, looked over her parcels anxiously, to see if she had forgotten anything, for she had really only had half her wits about her when she was in the shop.
"Tea, sugar, box of matches--" A sharp yell made her look up quickly, her heart seeming to stand still with terror.

It was Dick's voice, and Dick was in the middle of the road rolling about and crying out sharply, in evident pain.
"Dick! Dick! Come here, what has happened?
Oh, Dick!" she called frantically, as she flew to his side; but before she could reach him a big stone came whizzing from the hedge, and another sharp cry of pain showed that poor Dick had been struck again.
"Oh, Dick, Dick dear! what have they done to you ?" she cried, dropping on her knees in the dust beside him.

The dog tried to struggle to his feet, but could not; every movement caused him to yelp with pain.

He looked up at her imploringly, and licked her hand, as she put her arm under him to raise him, and the pain and helplessness in his loving eyes made her tears overflow.