"Where is your father?" asked Rollo.

"He is gone," replied the boy, "with mother to buy something at a shop a
little way from here. Lottie and I were tired, and so we preferred to
stay here. But they are coming back pretty soon."

"Are you all going to ride in the coupe?" said Rollo; "because, there
will not be room. There is only room for three in the coupe."

"I know it," said Lottie; "but then, as two of us are children, father
thought that we could get along. Father had a plan for getting Adolphus
a seat in the interior; but he was not willing to go there, because, he
said, he could not see."

Just at this moment the father and mother of Adolphus and Lottie came up
the archway into the court yard where the diligence was standing. The
horses had been brought out some minutes before and were now nearly
harnessed. The gentleman seemed to be quite in a hurry as he came up;
and, seeing that the horses were nearly ready, he said,--

"Now, children, get in and take your places as soon as possible."

So they all went to the coach, and the gentleman attempted to open the
door leading to the coupe. It was fastened.

"Conductor," said he, speaking very eagerly to the conductor, who was
standing near, "open this door!"

"There is plenty of time," said the conductor. "There is no need of
haste."

However, in obedience to the request of the gentleman, the conductor
opened the door; and the gentleman, helping his wife in, first,
afterwards lifted the children in, and then got in himself. The
conductor shut the door.

"Come, uncle George," said Rollo, "is not it time for us to get up to
our places?"

"No," said Mr. George. "They will tell us when the proper time comes."

So Mr. George and Rollo remained quietly standing by the side of the
diligence while the hostlers finished harnessing the horses. Rollo
during this time was examining with great interest the little steps and
projections on the side of the coach by which he expected that he and
Mr. George were to climb up to their places.

It turned out in the end, however, that he was disappointed in his
expectation of having a good climb; for, when the conductor was ready
for the banquette passengers to take their places, he brought the step
ladder and planted it against the side of the vehicle, and Mr. George
and Rollo went up as easily as they would have gone up stairs.

When the passengers were seated the step ladder was taken away, and a
moment afterwards