Peterkin

ckily, it was a fine day, and we could look well about us without appearing to have any particular reason for doing so. It would have seemed ra

out on the balcony. I wondered if he would notice us

ts' eyes are ugly, however pretty their feathers are?-were fix

oys! Good mornin

"naughty boys

Peterkin; 'because he knows

ere long, however,'

couldn't get to speak to us,' I was going to have said, but

it said, 'good

t repeated wi

good

of Margaret's dining-room clicked a little. And I was right. In another moment there sh

fraid you might have gone before I could catch you. Nurse has been after me so this morning, for the witch was angry with me yesterday for standing at the window without my s

ht,' we whispered,

the p

lly!' and something else which Peterkin de

as if I couldn't settle to anything, all queer and fidgety. A little, just a very little perhaps, like what you feel when you know you are going to the de

t's saying she'd run away by herself without us helping her, as I know-I have said so two or three times already, I'm afraid: it's difficult t

ring what sort of weather there was going to

when it came, and I awoke, and opened my eyes, without

e day, Gilley-co

oodness,

n the direction of the window, where up above the short blind a nice show of pale-blue sky was to be seen;

, perhaps, than to him, 'I wish we were well throu

More than that-I do believe she was so determined, that supposing mamma or Mrs. Wylie or any grown-up person had somehow

all think, that old Miss Bogle and her new nurse and everyb

sure. And Peterkin and I were ready for dinner-hands washed, ha

came into the dining-room, where we were waiting be

t's how I like to see you. How neat

e thought of Margaret's escape, and so down-to-the-ground sure that he was doing a most necessa

of feelings in my mind was a mixture, and

aid to

as soon as ever we've had our dinner

nd you will take good care of Peterkin, won't you,

to, and when she sat down at the table again, she was evidently still thinking

feeling that Clement looked at us rath

th James. Just for him to say that mamma and nobody was to be frightened if we were ra

d open his mouth and begin to stutter out some objection. He was rather a d

keep her waiting, Peterkin said. He always spoke of her as if she was a kind of queen. And he was right enough. All

round the corner, hastening towards us as fast as it could, but evidently a good deal

e it was

are here already. It's this package.

erkin, valiantly, taking

naturally it looked a queer bundle for a little girl like her to be carrying. She was not at all strong either, even for a little gi

safe till we've got to the station,' for wh

Luckily I knew my way about the streets pretty well, so I chose rather less public ones. And before long

s quite nicely and quietly dressed in dark-blue serge, something like Blanche and E

ur things in?' I asked her when we had got to some littl

ook he

just as if they had thought I might be planning to run away. I nearly took nurse's waterproof cape; she didn't take it to London to-day, because it is so fine and bri

e station by now, an

One for me to Hill Horton, and two for you to the Ju

arter of an hour to wait. If you give me your purse once we're insid

lied, 'and a half-crown, and fiv

are all three under twelve; so halves will do, and

ever travelled anything but first in my life. I don't know what Gran would

rd, if there were a lot of us and we could get a carriage to ourselves. But, after all, it was Marg

aid, 'if only there's enough. I'd have brought som

rkin, but Margare

dignantly. 'I'd rather travel third than that

first-class, leaving a shilling or so

asked a guard standing about if it was the one for Hill Horton, and he

carriage, and settled ourselves c

a sigh made up of satisfaction, as he wriggled his substantial

Margaret, 'once I am in

th her, but for others I couldn't help feeling that I should b

ere will be no more reason for worrying, if

on. For otherwise, you see, we should not have heard how she had got on,

infection of her high spirits. After all, we were only children, and we laughed and joked about the witch,

was only about a quarter-of-an-hour off, and just b

aid, when he caught sight of t

s, but it sounded so funny that Pete and I burst out laughing again.

wait for the Hill Horton tr

plied, glancing at his watch,

ght a train home again, after seeing Margaret off, the better. And

our guard again, he was somewhere at the other end; but I got hol

for Hill Horton? Is

f afterwards, that we had just come in to the st

right. Any carriage to the front-further back are for--.' I did not clearly hear-I think it

ot a little behind me, lugging the bundle between t

rst-class carriages next to the guard's van, but they were all empty, and I had meant to look out for one with nice-looking people in it for Marg

' I said to her. 'I suppose there are no

I daresay. Nursey said it was very crowded on market days, but I don't know when it i

t the front. They often separate trains like that. I daresay we shall go a little way out of the station and come back again. You'll see. And he said-t

in the netted place, for fear I couldn't get it down ag

er. It was lucky, I told her, that the carriage wasn't full, otherwise it

,' said Peter

was something very witty. We were still feeling rather excited, I th

surprise. The train suddenly began to move! We stared at eac

, 'we'll back into the s

ly. At least, Margaret's laugh was not quite hearty; th

king.' I put my head out of the window. We were quite clear of the Junction by now,

been some mistake about our waiting ten minu

Pete. 'I always wanted

id. 'Do you remember, Margaret, how many stat

ur, I think,

ut the first time we stop, and I daresay we shall soon

oughtful enough not to want us to g

, I think,' she said, 'for

eem a fast train, and a much more horrible idea than the one of

e Hill Horton