Couldn't

I can get it out with my knife? we drive him over a very stony place?" "You can't really tell the time by dandelions, can you?"

And so forth, till Kink's head would have ached if he had not trained it not to. Gregory was rattling on in this way when suddenly they heard a screaming and scrambling and thudding behind them, and a moment later a chaise with a little girl in it, drawn by a pair of gray ponies, dashed past at a fearful pace, only just avoiding the caravan, and disappeared in a cloud of dust; and then after a minute or so came a tremendous shattering crash, and all was still.

"It's a smash-up," said Kink, urging Moses into a trot. "We must help them;" and at the same time Hester's white face appeared at the window and implored Kink to drive faster.

In a minute or so they saw a moving mass at the side of the road, which they' knew to be the broken chaise, and a farm laborer holding the head of the one pony that was on its feet. Kink tied Moses to a gate-post and ran to the man's help, telling the children to wait a moment. Both were rather. frightened, and they stood hand in hand by Moses and watched.

They saw Kink lift something from the chaise and lay it on the grass. Then they saw him hacking at the harness with his pruning-knife until the pony was free, when the man led it to another gate-post and tied it there. Then Kink hacked again and drew the carriage away from the pony that was lying on the ground; and then he and the man lifted the bundle once more and came with it very carefully to the Slowcoach, Kink calling out to Gregory to open the door and put some pillows on the floor.

When Kink and the man reached the Slowcoach, Hester saw that they were carrying a girl of about her own age, whowas lying in their arms quite still, with her eyes closed. They placed her gently on the cushions, and Kink dashed a little water on her face.

Then the little girl remembered. "The ponies!" she cried. "Are they hurt?"

"I'm afraid one of them is," said Kink. "But never mind now. The great thing is that you weren't thrown out. Keep quiet now, Missie, and we'll look after everything."

But the little girl would not be silenced. "Which one is hurt?" she asked. "Which one? Is it Marshall or Snel

grove?"

"I don't know," said Kink. "They're both alike."

"Oh, no, they're not," said the little girl. "Marshall has a white star between his eyes. Oh, do say Marshall's all right! Marshall's my very own."

"I'll go and see," said Gregory, and he ran off, and came back to say that Marshall was the one that seemed to be all right, but Snelgrove had broken his leg and couldn't move.

Oh, I'm so glad about Marshall," said the girl; "but poor Tommy, how sorry he'll be !"

"See if you can get up, Missie," said Kink. "I want to know if you're hurt anywhere."

The little girl sat up and then stood up. "I feel all right," she said, "only very giddy."

Kink uttered a sigh of relief. "Drink this cold water," he said. "That will make you much better. And now tell us all about the accident, because we shall have to let your people know."

"Well," said the little girl, "mother and I were driving to Ashton to see Aunt May; and mother had just got out to leave the British Workman' at old Mr. Dimmock's, when the ponies took fright and

an away. I held the reins as long as I could, and when I saw your caravan in front I screamed to warn you, and then there was a terrible crash, and I don't remember anything else."

"And what will your poor mamma be doing?" said Kink.

Then, I think," said Kink, "the best thing to do is for us to leave this man here to mind the ponies and tell your mamma you're all right; and we'll go on

"I SEE A BEAUTIFUL WEDDING. to Ashton as quick as we can, and send back some help. We'll take you to your aunt's, Missie, and the man will tell your mamma what we've done when she comes up. I'm so glad you're not hurt."

So Hester and Gregory were left with the little girl, who told them her name was Patricia Mordan, and she was ten, and they lived near Fladbury, and she had

a King Charles spaniel; while Kink urged Moses towards Ashton, which was only a mile or so away.

Hester put the kettle on the Beatrice stove, thinking that tea was the best thing, and Gregory sat down and looked at their guest, and thought what a splendid adventure it was to tell the others about when they met them later.

'My bed's over there," said Gregory. "Where do you stop at night?" Patricia asked.

"I have to go to the farmers and get leave to camp on their land," said Gregory.

"And is it just you two and the driver?" Patricia asked.

"Oh, no," said Gregory; "there are five others, but they are walking over Bredon Hill. They said we could not walk so far, which is rot, of course; but I'm glad we didn't, because then we shouldn't have been here to save your life."

"Mother will be very grateful to you for being so kind," said Patricia. "Poor mother she'll be so frightened about me. And Tommy, how dreadful for him to lose Snelgrove !"

"Who's Tommy?" Gregory asked. "Tommy's my brother," said Patricia. "He's twelve. Aunt May gave Snelgrove to him and Marshall to me last Christmas. They've never run away before. I wish we had a caravan."

Slowcoach, and mother and daughter hugged each other for quite two minutes, while Gregory looked at young Daniel Wilson and Hester began to cry afreshthis time because she was happy.

Mrs. Mordan was happy too. The grief she had felt for the accident and the injury to poor Snelgrove, whom she had left in agony by the road, passed away when she found her little daughter unhurt.

She sat holding Patricia's hand, and asked Hester a number of questions and gave her a number of thanks all together.

Gregory meanwhile had got out and was asking young Daniel Wilson how ponies are shot; and what he did about getting milk to the station when the snow was two feet thick; and if the cows often kicked the buckets over.

"It's not us," said Hester; "it's Kink who was so useful."

"Who is Kink?" Mrs. Mordan asked. "Our gardener," said Hester, "but he drives the caravan for us;" and gradually she told the whole Slowcoach story.

By this time they were at Ashton, and, after giving instructions about looking after the ponies-sending for a veterinary surgeon and so forth-Mrs. Mordan showed Kink the way to Aunt May's house, which they reached just before two.

Aunt May was standing by the gate, with four black spaniels about her, looking anxiously down the road-a tall lady with gray hair and top boots, and a little whip

in her hand.

"No," she said, as Kink stopped at the gate, "I don't want any chairs or kettles mended, or indeed anything from you at all."

Kink, however, said nothing, but went to the back of the caravan and helped Mrs. Mordan and Patricia down.

"My precious Lina !" exclaimed Aunt May, when she saw them. "Whatever has happened?"

"I'll tell you about it indoors," said Mrs. Mordan. "These kind people are going to stop here for lunch, if you've got enough."

"Of course there's enough," said Aunt May; "but I thought you were gypsies. or tinkers or something objectionable. You're not a tinker, are you?" she said to Gregory.

"No," he said, "but I'd like to be a gypsy.

And so they reached the house, which was an old-fashioned one, all among dark trees, with a very soft lawn in front of it.

Aunt May told Kink to go round to the back and be sure not to let Diogenes and the dogs fight, and then she began to call at the top of her voice for Simpkins.

After a while Simpkins appeared-an elderly bald man in a dress suit, who was evidently the butler.