seven in the
morning
One of them noticed the displaced board of the crate . He drove home its loosened nails with two sharp taps from a monkey-wrench , glanced inside to make certain the dog had not gotten out , and presently hoisted the crate aboard the express-car . Two hours later the crate was unloaded at a waystation . At seven in the morning an expressman drove two miles with it to a country-home , a mile or so from the village where Lass had been disembarked from the train . An eager knot of people -- the Mistress , the Master and two gardeners -- crowded expectantly around the crate as it was set down on the lawn in front of The Place 's veranda . The latch was unfastened , and the crate 's top was lifted back on its hinges . Out stepped Lass , -- tired , confused , a little frightened , but eagerly willing to make friends with a world which she still insisted on believing was friendly .