time
that they were on the way to see uncle.

"'Who is uncle?' asked the policeman, and Jean said: 'He's Uncle
Darling, and he lives on Wide Stweet.'

"'But what's his name?' asked the policeman, thinking the children were
calling him by their pet name.

"'Uncle Darling,' Jean kept repeating.

"'We'll take them to the station, and report at headquarters,' said the
policeman, finally."

"Think of mamma's actually being taken to the lock-up," murmured
Cricket.

"But the children were very determined little things, and insisted that
they were going to Wide Stweet to see uncle. Presently a gentleman
passed, and asked the reason of the commotion.

"'Runaways,' somebody answered, whereupon Jean instantly piped up, 'I
say I _isn't_ yunning away. I is goin' to Wide Stweet to see Uncle
Darling.'

"'Darling?' said the gentleman. 'I know Darling of Broad Street. These
little scraps must have slipped away from his house. Call a cab,
policeman, and we'll go and see.'

"So a cab was called, and the policeman mounted the box, and the man got
inside with the children, and off they went to Broad Street, which Jean
called Wide Stweet.

"Imagine your great-uncle's feelings, when suddenly his office door
opened, and a gentleman appeared leading those two ridiculous looking
little creatures.

"Their faces were grimy, their hair bristling with burs, their feet
splashed with mud, their little straight night-gowns stained with
strawberry juice from neck to hem,--looking startlingly like blood at
first sight,--but in spite of all, the most beaming of smiles, for they
had had a beautiful time.

"'We has tum to see 'oo,' said Margaret, giving him a very burry hug,
for as she threw her arms around his neck, the burs in her hair caught
in his heavy beard. Margaret screamed as her hair pulled, and they had
some trouble to get her disentangled.

"'We hasn't yunned away, Uncle Darling. We has came in a carriage,' said
Jean.

"The gentleman was a business friend of your great-uncle's. He delivered
the children over into his charge, telling him the story. Of course he
started home with them immediately, knowing how frightened we would be
if we got home and discovered that they were missing.

"Fortunately for my peace of mind, we had been detained later than we
expected to be, and so just as we got out of the horse-cars in front of
my sister's house, a cab drew up at the door, and out got your uncle,
and with him two of the most dis