e sent it into your eye," she explained, when
she had done, "and then sometimes they take hours to get out again."

"Thank you very much," said Audrey, gratefully, then suddenly grew so shy
that she subsided into her corner without another word. She made a big
effort, though, to recover; it seemed so ungracious, so rude, to receive a
kindness in so _gauche_ a fashion. She took up some of her magazines.
"Would you--would you like to look at these?" she asked, holding them out
towards the elder girl, and at the same time colouring with embarrassment
and with pleasure.

"Oh, thank you!" the three spoke with one voice. "We would love to, but--
have you done with them all for the time?" asked Irene, the elder girl.
"Wouldn't you like one for yourself? Daphne and I could look at one
together."

Audrey shook her head. "No, thank you. I have looked through them, and I
have a book here if I want to read."

"Perhaps you would take some lunch with us instead?" suggested the mother,
looking up from her paper with a smile. "Keith, before you begin to
devour _The Boys' Own_, lift up the lunch-basket for me, and I will unpack
it. We don't stop again for some time, so we can feel sure of not being
disturbed."

Audrey was really not hungry, but more for the pleasure of joining the
happy party than because she wanted anything, she accepted the kind offer,
and was always afterwards thankful that she did, for it was the jolliest,
pleasantest meal she had ever had in her life. Almost before it was begun
all stiffness and shyness had vanished, and if Audrey had ever resented
her travelling companions coming, she had quite forgotten it.

"I shall be sorry when the journey is over," she said with a sigh, as she
lay back weary with laughter. "I never had such a jolly one!"

"Have you far to go?"

"Not so very, very much farther," she said, half ruefully. "I am going to
Moor End, but I have to get out at Kingfield, and change."

"Oh, how funny! We get out at Kingfield too, but we are going on to
Abbot's Field. That is the same line as yours, isn't it?"

"Yes, Abbot's Field is a station further on."

"What an extraordinary thing! Was ever anything so strange!" Daphne, the
younger girl, was overcome with excitement at the coincidence. "I wonder
if we shall see you sometimes! We might each walk half-way and meet.
Wouldn't it be fun! Are you going to stay long?"

"Oh, yes, for a year, most likely. It is my home."

"