are the time from the sheep either. Labour's
so scarce now. My two sons are fighting, and I've only a grandson of
fourteen and a daughter to help me."

"Everybody is feeling the same pinch," replied Miss Norton. "We're only
too glad to come and fetch the potatoes ourselves. It's a nice walk for
us."

The girls, who overheard the conversation, felt they cordially agreed.
It was fun wandering round the little farm-yard, looking at the ducks,
and chickens, and calves, or peeping inside the barns and stables.
Several of them began to register vows to work on the land when
school-days were over.

"They've got a new German camp over there," volunteered the farmer. "I
suppose their first contingent of prisoners arrived yesterday. Hadn't
you heard about it? Oh, they've been busy for weeks putting up barbed
wire! It can't be so far from your place either. You'd pass it if you
crossed the stile there and went back over the moor instead of round by
the road."

At the news of a German camp a kind of electric thrill passed round the
company. The girls were wild with curiosity to see it, and pressed Miss
Norton to allow them to return to Brackenfield by the moorland path. The
mistress herself seemed interested, and consented quite readily. It was
a much quicker way back to the school, and would save time; she was
grateful to Mr. Briggs for having pointed out so short a cut.

The camp lay on the side of a hill about half-way between the farm and
Brackenfield, near enough to distinguish the latter building quite
plainly in the distance. It was surrounded by an entanglement of barbed
wire, and there were sentries on duty. Within the circle of wire were
tents, and the girls could see washing hanging out, and a few figures
lying on the ground and apparently smoking. They would have liked to
linger and look, but Miss Norton marched them briskly past, and
discipline forbade an undue exhibition of curiosity. They had gone
perhaps only a few hundred yards when they heard the regular tramp-tramp
of footsteps, and up from the dell below came a further batch of
prisoners under an escort of soldiers. Miss Norton hastily marshalled
her flock, and made them stand aside to allow the contingent room to
pass. They were a tall, fine-looking set of men, stouter, and apparently
better fed, than their guards. They had no appearance of hard usage or
ill treatment, and were marching quite cheerily towards the camp,
probably anticipating a meal. The gi