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A portrait study by Philip H. Miller of "Bimbie," Miss Stanley Edwards, the first English girl scout. She is wearing the ribbons which were pinned on personally by General Baden-Powell. This picture was exhibited at the North British Academy of Arts in London this year. The Boy Scout Movement in England and America was described in the Outlook for July 23 last

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The Slowcoach

A Story of Roadside Adventure
By Edward Verrall Lucas

Author of "Anne's Terrible Good Nature"

With Pictures by L. Raven-Hill

CHAPTER XX

THE ADVENTURE OF THE LINE OF POETRY
N the next morning, which was
Sunday, Jack hurried through his
dressing and washing at a great
pace and instantly disappeared.
others were just beginning breakfast
when he came rushing up in a state
of wild excitement, calling, "Kink!
Kink !"

The

are killed, anyway? You eat them all right when they're cooked."

"I couldn't eat a rabbit that I had seen

struggling alive," said Janet.

"No," said Mary. "Oh, Jack, please let him go! You've caught him, and that's the great thing; and now be merciful."

ert.

Kink still held the struggling creature.
"I vote he's let loose again," said Rob-
"I don't want any of him."
"No, and I'm sure I don't," said

"What is it?" said that leisurely man. "It's a rabbit," cried Jack. "I've caught it and I don't know how to kill Gregory; "but wouldn't it be fun to keep

it."

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him in a hutch ?"

"Wild rabbits are no good in hutches," said Kink.

Jack was very sullen. "It's awful rot,"
he said.
rians if you talk like that.
"You all ought to be vegeta-
But we'll let
him go," and he loosened the wire and
the rabbit dashed away.

kindness," Jack muttered.
"A nice return to the gypsy for his

Kink watched the rabbit till it was out of sight. "Whose rabbit do you suppose was?" he asked.

that

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Mine," said Jack.

"What about the farmer?" said Kink. "A nice return for a night's lodgingpoaching his rabbits."

"Is that

"Poaching !" cried Horace. poaching? Is Jack a poacher? Oh, how splendid! Jack's a poacher! Jack's a poacher! I wish I was."

66

I'd never thought of it as poaching." said Jack, who was not a little proud of his new character.

"When did you set the wire?" Horace asked him.

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"Late last night," said Jack. you had turned in."

"After be allowed to remain alone in the Slowcoach. Kink said that he would stay

"Wasn't it pitch dark?" Horace there, too. asked.

On the other side of Cirencester is a

"There was a moon," said Jack, feeling very beautiful park, with a broad avenue twice his ordinary size.

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'Oh, yes," said Jack, lightly. "Of course one mustn't be a fool or a coward."

It was arranged that Janet and Jack and Robert and Hester should go to church and Mary and the others stay behind to cook. The boys walked, but Janet and Hester were driven in by the farmer in his chaise. Janet had a rather uncomfortable moment at the beginning of the sermon, for the text was taken from Matthew xxii, where the piece of money is produced, and the question asked, "Whose is this image and superscription?" Of course they all thought simultaneously of the old Irishwoman, and gave Janet a quick glance. She was very glad that Kink (who was a Dissenter) was not with them to fix his old laughing eye upon her.

Mary had worked very hard over the Sunday dinner, and a great surprise was waiting for the four church-goers-nothing less than a beefsteak pudding, with the most perfect soft crust and heaps of juice; and afterwards pancakes. The farmer's wife sent down some strawberries and cream, so that it was a real feast. The only one of them that was not hungry was Mary, who was too hot and tired of cooking to be able to eat much.

In spite of this huge and momentous dinner, all the children went out on Sunday afternoon to explore the neighborhood, except Hester, who said she had something very important to do and begged to

through it from the gates right in the town itself. The farmer's wife had told them of its attractions, and also of a ruined house known as Alfred's Hall, and a point called the Seven Ways where seven green avenues met, and a canal that ran through a tunnel, and, all within the possibilities of good walkers, the source of the Thames itself. "And," said she, "after you have seen that the tiny spring which makes that wonderful river that runs right through London-oh, I've been to London in my time !-you can come back to Cirencester by the Fosse Way-the Roman road to Bath."

They could not, of course, see all these things, but they went to the ruined house, which was very romantic and exactly the place for Hester had she only been with them; and they roamed about the park, which was very vast and wonderful.

They had a little adventure, too, for as they were walking along, on the way back-coming back, of course, by a different way, for Robert could not bear the thought of not doing so-Mary chanced to say, with reference to the plans for the future which Robert was describing : "To-morrow to fresh fields and pastures new,"

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that being her idea of the last line of Milton's "Lycidas," which they had all learned quite recently.

"Not fresh fields," " Janet corrected, "fresh woods." "

"Fields,'" said Mary.

"Woods,'" said Janet.

"I'm sure it's 'fields,'" said Mary.

"But it's silly," said Janet, "to say 'fresh fields and pastures new,' because they mean the same thing. 'Fresh woods' would mean something different."

"I can't help it," said Mary; "that's Milton's affair. 'Fresh fields.""

Janet called to Robert. "Is it fresh fields and pastures new,' or 'fresh woods and pastures new '?" she asked him. "Fresh fields,' " he said.

Janet asked Jack. "I don't know," he said, "but fresh woods' sounds more sensible."

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No," said Mary, "I don't think I could. Not the vicar. I might be willing to ask the curate."

"What a ripping idea!" said Jack. "Of course the curate would be much easier. We'll ask where he lives.'

They did so at a small tobacconist's that was open, and found that the curate had rooms at Myrtle Villa, quite close by.

They therefore marched towards Myrtle Villa, but first arranged to draw lots to see who should ring the bell and make

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