Peterkin

bad a one since we came to live in London, or else it seemed to me terribl

he platform after we got out of the carriage, lugging the bundle between them. It was not really heavy, and I had to go first, as the station

se to a book-stall, where several lights together made it a little cleare

Street is, if you please?' I

ted, in surprise. 'Of cour

I tha

ar?' I

s a long street. But if you're a stranger you'll nev

d. 'It's only a sh

ay. By this time the two children were close b

r three,' he replied. 'Hansom or f

ooked very delicate, and she had had a bad cold. Supposing the fog

mouth,' I said, 'so as not to get the fog down

ght have been. There were scarcely any cabs about, but

any objection, for I know they do sometimes make a great f

put my head out of the window again, and s

oo, for all I knew, stuffed over her mouth and throat. They were both very quiet, but I think they were rather enjoying themselves. I suppose my taking the lead, as I h

d we could see them now and then. There was a lot of shouting going on, and yet every sound was muffled. There wer

se, for there are no shops, or scarcely any, there. I've often and often passed along it since, but

en we

u say?' asked the dr

top here for a moment or tw

keep the cab, to take us to some hotel, otherwise it might be almost impossible to get another.

ctually told the others to stay in the cab, though I had taken care to keep the window shut when I got o

was explained-I heard a rustling behind me, and lo and behold, there they both were, and the t

a parlour-maid-did start a little, but I didn't give her time to speak, th

said. I thought it best to spe

rs, and perhaps she caught sight of the four-wheeler, loomi

here, but she comes round most afternoons. I thought it was her wh

first words-'she is not,' but as the s

heard yet from her. 'Why couldn't you have stayed in the cab?' I said sharply, and perhaps it was a good thing, to show that

holding fast to her precious bundle, and Peterkin was holding fast to his side of it, so they tumbled in together in a way that was enough to make the servant stare, and I stayed half on the steps, half inside, but from where I was I could see i

I said. 'I think the best thing we can

dy, I mean-came forward from

r. You are letting the fog get all ov

und afterwards, a sort of trick of hers, and somehow it suited her. She was very pretty. I didn't often notice girls' looks, but I couldn't help noticing hers. Everything about her was pretty; her voice too, though she spok

us-I daresay we seemed quite a litt

kly, her voice growing anx

aimed. 'Has there been an acci

moved to

he began, but the

me in, please,' this was to me; I suppose I seemed to

Margaret's colourless face and dark eyes and hair, and the bright red of the bundle, at the first hasty glance, might almost

d, 'and-and we've come to her because-oh! because we've got into a lot of tr

ago now, and I really was scarcely more than a little boy myself-something seemed

to me, leaving the bundle to Pete's tender mercies; so half of it dropped on to t

up and flung her

ried, 'don't, oh don'

so good to me. Oh dear, oh dear, what shall I do?' and she began coughing ag

was just going to explain things a little to the girl

s to get this child out of the cold,' and she opened a door a litt

nd the girl turned on an electric lamp over the table. There were pretty f

r just at that moment another door was heard to open, and as the one o

re anything the matte

ce-quite a kind on

' said the girl, and as she ran out of the ro

if she should leave us alone or not, and we drew a little n

WING MARGARET TO HER, 'TEL

at me. 'I think she looks very kind. You don't thi

to be back in our homes again, witch or no witch. But I thought better of it. It wouldn't have

be Mrs. Wylie's niece, and we'll go on to M

' now. We always do, though she is no longe

he fire, and drawing Margaret to her, 'tell me all about

hed Peterkin. 'I'm Giles and he's Peterkin. We k

l no

he touched Margaret gently, 'this small maid

opped short. For the first time it struck

ext door but one to Mrs. Wylie, and next door to t

nodded

d of him too

the old one-struck Margaret again. Her voice

n't send me back to th

as if she thought Margaret was half out of her min

e I must have glanced at the servant, for Beryl turned towards her

as quickly as you can. You

erkin (though to any one less 'understanding' than Beryl, his funny way of muddling up real and fancy would certainly not have 'helped'), I

is to see my auntie. You three stay here while I run round to her

m awfully tempting, but

ay, too. Don't you think we'd better go with you in it to Mrs. Wylie, and perhaps she'd lend us money to go to the Junction by the first train? I don't think we should stay to hav

ked almost as pi

of her, and got up from the big leathe

-an-hour or twenty minutes away. So all you three have got to do in the meantime is to have a good tea, and trust me. And don't think about witches, or bad

eard her come downstairs again, with her cloak and hat on, no

hing more like the best of good ones tha

d handed us a plateful of bread-and-butter and another of little cakes, she

ldest, wasn't very old-we really enjoyed ourselves! It was so jolly to feel warm and to have a

terkin, in those days, was never very surprised at anything, for nothing that could happen was as wonderful a

came into my head to think that mamma might be frightened about us, even though the afternoo

he had been the evening Peterkin got lost. I suppose my head had got tired and confused with a