that means only in London, where there are
so many people?"
"Do you know that you can't walk over London Bridge without seeing a
white horse?"
"Do you think that Moses is ever going to have a stone in his shoe so
that I can get it out with my knife? Couldn't we drive him over a very
stony place?"
"You can't really tell the time by dandelions, can you?"
And so forth, till Kink's head would have ached if he had not trained
it not to.
Gregory was rattling on in this way when suddenly they heard a
screaming and scrambling and thudding behind them, and a moment later a
chaise with a little girl in it, drawn by a pair of grey ponies, dashed
past at a fearful pace, only just avoiding the caravan, and disappeared
in a cloud of dust; and then after a minute or so came a tremendous
shattering crash, and all was still.
"It's a smash-up," said Kink, urging Moses into a trot. "We must help
them;" and at the same time Hester's white face appeared at the window
and implored Kink to drive faster.
In a minute or so they saw a moving mass at the side of the road, which
they knew to be the broken chaise, and a farm labourer holding the head
of the one pony that was on its feet. Kink tied Moses to a gate-post,
and ran to the man's help, telling the children to wait a moment. Both
were rather frightened, and they stood hand in hand by Moses and
watched.
They saw Kink lift something from the chaise and lay it on the grass.
Then they saw him hacking at the harness with his pruning-knife until
the pony was free, when the man led it to another gate-post and tied it
there. Then Kink hacked again, and drew the carriage away from the pony
that was lying on the ground; and then he and the man lifted the bundle
once more and came with it very carefully to the Slowcoach, Kink
calling out to Gregory to open the door and put some pillows on the
floor.
When Kink and the man reached the Slowcoach, Hester saw that they were
carrying a girl of about her own age, who was lying in their arms quite
still, with her eyes closed.
They placed her gently on the cushions, and Kink dashed a little water
on her face.
After a moment or so she opened her eyes and asked where she was.
"You're all right," said Hester. "You've had an accident. We're taking
care of you."
Then the little girl remembered. "The ponies!" she cried. "Are they
hurt?"
"I'm afraid one of them is," said Kink. "But never mind now. The great
thing is that you weren'
|