he county, too, lookin' on from the Grand Stand! I bet Sir
Elphinstone's cussin'."

"And I'll bet Miss Sally don't care how hard he cusses. She could do a
bit o' that too in her time, by all accounts."

"Ay, a monstrous free-spoken lady always. Swearin' don't sit well upon
womankind, I allow--not as a rule. But when there's blood, a damn up
or down--what is it? For my part I never knew a real gentleman--or lady
for that matter--let out a downright thumper but I want to cry
'Old England for ever!'"

Finding it hopeless to skirt the crowd, the children made a plunge
through it, with 'Dolph at their heels. But as the crush abated and
they breasted the farther slope, Tilda made two discoveries; the first,
that whereas a few minutes since the platform had held a company of
people among its palms and fairy-lamps, it was now deserted; the second,
that the mob at the winning-post had actually shouldered Miss Sally, and
was carrying her in triumph towards the platform, with a brass band
bobbing ahead and blaring _See, the Conquering Hero comes!_

This second discovery was serious, for the procession's line of march
threatened to intercept them. But luckily the bandsmen, who set the
pace, moved slowly, and by taking hands and running the children reached
the platform in time, skirted its darker side, and dived under its
scarlet draperies into the cavernous darkness beneath the boards.

Here they drew breath, and Tilda again clutched the dog. They were in
time, but with a very little to spare. In less than a minute the mob
surged all around the platform, shouting, hooraying.

"Three cheers for Miss Sally! The Ham--where's the Ham? Give Miss Sally
the Ham! Silence, there--silence for Sir Elphinstone! Speech from Sir
Elphinstone! Speech!"

By and by the hubbub died down a little, but still there were cries of
"Sir Elphinstone for ever!" "Miss Sally for ever!" and "Your sister's
won the Ham, sir!" A high-pitched voice on the outskirts of the throng
began to chant--

"For really it was a remarkable 'am!"

But got no further, being drowned first by sporadic, uneasy laughter,
and then by a storm of hisses. A tremendous roar of laughter followed,
and this (although Tilda could not guess it) was evoked by Miss Sally's
finding the ham where it stood derelict on a table among the greenhouse
plants, lifting it off its plate and brandishing it before the eyes of
her admirers.

Tilda could see nothing of this.