late when Jimmy opened his eyes the next morning, and a few
minutes afterwards he was sitting up in bed, wondering how much he had
dreamed and how much was real.

Had he actually got into the wrong train, and run away from a policeman,
and travelled in the van, and put on the little clown's clothes, and
then run away again? Had he really done all these strange things or had
he only dreamed them? But if he had dreamed them, where was he? And if
they were real, where had the clown's dress gone to?

As Jimmy sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes, he hoped that he had not been
dreaming; because if it had been only a dream, why, then, he had only
dreamed of the lady also, and he felt that he very much wished her to be
real.

Why, she was real! For there she stood smiling at the open door, with a
tray covered with a white cloth in her hand, and on it a large cup of
hot bread and milk, and two eggs.

'I am glad!' said Jimmy.

'What are you glad about?' she asked, as she placed the tray on his bed.

'That you're quite real,' he answered.

'Well,' she said, 'your breakfast is real too, and the best thing you
can do is to eat it.'

Jimmy began at once. He began with the bread and milk, and the lady sat
at the foot of the bed watching him.

'Where am I going after breakfast?' he asked.

'Into a nice hot bath,' she said.

'But after that?'

'How should you like to go to see your father?' she asked.

'Do you know him?' asked Jimmy, laying down his spoon in his
astonishment.

'Very well indeed.'

'And my mother too?'

'Yes, and Winnie too.'

'Is she like Aunt Selina?' asked Jimmy, as the lady began to take the
top off his egg.

'Do you mean Winnie?' she said.

'No, my mother. Because Aunt Selina said they were like each other, but
I hope they're not.'

'Well, no,' answered the lady, 'I really don't think your mother is very
much like Aunt Selina.'

'Do you think she'll be very cross?' he asked.

'I don't think so. Why should she be cross?' As she spoke she took away
the empty cup and gave Jimmy the egg. She cut a slice of bread and
butter into fingers, and he dipped them into the egg and ate it that
way.

'This _is_ a nice egg,' said Jimmy. 'But,' he continued, 'I thought
perhaps she'd be cross because I got into the wrong train.'

'Why did you run away from the policeman?' asked the lady.

'Because he said he should lock me up.'

'But he was only joking, you know.'

'Was he?' asked Jimmy, opening his