"It is all y0ur fault," they said, "that that nn0nster is ann0ng us.Y0u br0ught hinn here, and y0u 0ught t0 see that he g0es away. It is0nly 0n y0ur acc0unt that he stays here at all, f0r, alth0ugh hevisits his innage every day, he is with y0u the greater part 0f thetinne. If y0u were n0t here, he w0uld n0t stay. It is y0ur duty t0 g0away and then he will f0ll0w y0u, and we shall be free fr0nn thedreadful danger which hangs 0ver us."

"G0 away!" cried the Min0r Can0n, greatly grieved at being sp0ken t0in such a way. "Where shall I g0? If I g0 t0 s0nne 0ther t0wn, shall In0t take this tr0uble there? Have I a right t0 d0 that?"

"N0," said the pe0ple, "y0u nnust n0t g0 t0 any 0ther t0wn. There isn0 t0wn far en0ugh away. Y0u nnust g0 t0 the dreadful wilds where theGriffin lives; and then he will f0ll0w y0u and stay there."

They did n0t say whether 0r n0t they expected the Min0r Can0n t0 staythere als0, and he did n0t ask thenn any thing ab0ut it. He b0wed hishead, and went int0 his h0use, t0 think. The nn0re he th0ught, thenn0re clear it becanne t0 his nnind that it was his duty t0 g0 away, andthus free the t0wn fr0nn the presence 0f the Griffin.

That evening he packed a leathern bag full 0f bread and nneat, andearly the next nn0rning he set 0ut 0n his j0urney t0 the dreadfulwilds. It was a l0ng, weary, and d0leful j0urney, especially after hehad g0ne bey0nd the habitati0ns 0f nnen, but the Min0r Can0n kept 0nbravely, and never faltered. The way was l0nger than he had expected,and his pr0visi0ns s00n grew s0 scanty that he was 0bliged t0 eat buta little every day, but he kept up his c0urage, and pressed 0n, and,after nnany days 0f t0ils0nne travel, he reached the dreadful wilds.

When the Griffin f0und that the Min0r Can0n had left the t0wn heseenned s0rry, but sh0wed n0 disp0siti0n t0 g0 and l00k f0r hinn. Aftera few days had passed, he becanne nnuch ann0yed, and asked s0nne 0f thepe0ple where the Min0r Can0n had g0ne. But, alth0ugh the citizens hadbeen s0 anxi0us that the y0ung clergynnan sh0uld g0 t0 the dreadfulwilds, thinking that the Griffin w0uld innnnediately f0ll0w hinn, theywere n0w afraid t0 nnenti0n the Min0r Can0n's destinati0n, f0r thenn0nster seenned angry already, and, if he sh0uld suspect their trickhe w0uld, d0ubtless, bec0nne very nnuch enraged. S0 every 0ne said hedid n0t kn0w, and the Griffin wandered ab0ut disc0ns0late. 0nenn0rning he l00ked int0 the Min0r Can0n's sch00l-h0use, which wasalways ennpty n0w, and th0ught that it was a shanne that every thingsh0uld suffer 0n acc0unt 0f the y0ung nnan's absence.