h trucks, and were quite, quite sure
that Aunt Emma was not there. Then suddenly the true truth of what he
had forgotten to do came home to Robert, and he said, 'Oh, crikey!' and
stood still with his mouth open, and let a porter with a Gladstone bag
in each hand and a bundle of umbrellas under one arm blunder heavily
into him, and never so much as said, 'Where are you shoving to now?' or,
'Look out where you're going, can't you?' The heavier bag smote him at
the knee, and he staggered, but he said nothing.

When the others understood what was the matter I think they told Robert
what they thought of him.

'We must take the train to Croydon,' said Anthea, 'and find Aunt Emma.'

'Yes,' said Cyril, 'and precious pleased those Jevonses would be to see
us and our traps.'

Aunt Emma, indeed, was staying with some Jevonses--very prim people.
They were middle-aged and wore very smart blouses, and they were fond of
matinees and shopping, and they did not care about children.

'I know MOTHER would be pleased to see us if we went back,' said Jane.

'Yes, she would, but she'd think it was not right to show she was
pleased, because it's Bob's fault we're not met. Don't I know the sort
of thing?' said Cyril. 'Besides, we've no tin. No; we've got enough for
a growler among us, but not enough for tickets to the New Forest. We
must just go home. They won't be so savage when they find we've really
got home all right. You know auntie was only going to take us home in a
cab.'

'I believe we ought to go to Croydon,' Anthea insisted.

'Aunt Emma would be out to a dead cert,' said Robert. 'Those Jevonses go
to the theatre every afternoon, I believe. Besides, there's the Phoenix
at home, AND the carpet. I votes we call a four-wheeled cabman.'

A four-wheeled cabman was called--his cab was one of the old-fashioned
kind with straw in the bottom--and he was asked by Anthea to drive them
very carefully to their address. This he did, and the price he asked
for doing so was exactly the value of the gold coin grandpapa had given
Cyril for Christmas. This cast a gloom; but Cyril would never have
stooped to argue about a cab-fare, for fear the cabman should think he
was not accustomed to take cabs whenever he wanted them. For a reason
that was something like this he told the cabman to put the luggage
on the steps, and waited till the wheels of the growler had grittily
retired before he rang the bell.

'You see,' he said, with his hand on the