glad when the washing-up was done and it was bedtime. But no one had a
good night. The rain dropped from the trees on to the Slowcoach's roof
with loud thuds, and at midnight the thunder and lightning began, and
Janet got up and splashed out in the wet to the tent to ask Robert if
they ought not to move from under the trees. Robert had been lying
awake thinking the same thing, but Kink had gone off with Moses to the
nearest farm, and the Slowcoach was far too heavy to move without the
horse. Diogenes whimpered on his chain. If he could have spoken, he
would have said, like Gregory, "I hate thunder."

"Perhaps it won't get very near us," said Robert. "We must chance it,
anyway."

But neither he nor Janet had any sleep until it was nearly time to get
up, when the sun began to shine again, and the miseries of the evening
and night before were forgotten.

Hester, however, had slept all through it, and had dreamed that ponies
were running away with her towards a country entirely peopled by black
spaniels and governed by a grey queen in top-boots.

As for Gregory, his dream was that he was Lord Bruce.

CHAPTER 17

THE ADVENTURE OF THE LOST BABY

They entered Cheltenham at about half-past eleven, and were having
lunch on the top of Leckhampton Hill, on the other side of it, by
half-past one. Robert had not allowed any stop in Cheltenham except for
shopping. "We don't want towns," he said, "except historic ones."

"But this is historic," said Jack; "Jessop was at school here."

The pull up Leckhampton Hill was very stiff, and they were all glad to
take lunch easily, and since Robert had arranged a short day--only
three or four miles more, to a very nice-looking spot on the other side
of Birdlip--they rested with clear consciences; and, as it happened,
rested again in the Birdlip Hotel, where they had tea in the garden
overlooking the Severn Valley on the top of just such a precipice as
Bredon.

It was half-past three before they started again on their next five
miles, and they had done about three of them, and had just passed
Teddington, when Gregory, who was walking with Kink beside Moses,
suddenly dashed ahead towards a bundle which was lying in the middle of
the road.

He bent down over it, and then began to shriek for the others to come
too.

"What is it?" cried Jack, as they raced up.

"It's a baby!" Gregory said, wild with excitement. "A real baby!"

Janet, who had been behind, sprang forward as sh