n't find it?" quavered the little boy anxiously.

"I think the fairies will bring it to us somehow. You come here to-day
fortnight and see. Cheer oh! Don't cry!"

"He wants his tea," said the servant. "Hold on to those parcels, Eric,
or we shall be dropping something else."

The little boy put his arms round several lightly-balanced packages, and
tried to wave a good-bye to the girls as his attendant wheeled him away.

"Poor wee chap! I wonder what's the matter with him?" said Elaine, when
the long perambulator had turned the corner. "And I wonder where he can
possibly be going? There are no houses that way--only a wretched little
village with a few cottages."

"I can't place him at all," replied Marjorie. "He's not a poor person's
child, and he's not exactly a gentleman's. The carriage was very shabby,
with such an old rug; and the girl wasn't tidy enough for a nurse, she
looked like a general slavey. Dona, I don't believe you'll find that
book."

"I don't suppose I shall," returned Dona; "but I have _Grimm's Fairy
Tales_ at home, and I thought I'd write to Mother and ask her to send it
to Auntie's for me, then I could take it to him next exeat."

"Oh, good! What a splendid idea!"

Though the girls kept a careful look-out along the road they came across
no fairy-tale volume. Either someone else had picked it up, or it had
perhaps been dropped in the street at Whitecliffe. Dona wrote home
accordingly, and received the reply that her mother would post the book
to "The Tamarisks" in the course of a few days. The sisters watched the
weather anxiously when their fortnightly exeat came round. They were
fascinated with little Eric, and wanted to see him again. They could not
forget his pale, wistful face among the parcels in the long
perambulator. Luckily their holiday afternoon was fine, so they were
allowed to go to their aunt's under the escort of two prefects. They
found Elaine ready to start, and much interested in the errand.

"The book came a week ago," she informed Dona. "I expect your young man
will be waiting at the tryst."

"He's not due till half-past four--if he keeps the appointment exactly,"
laughed Dona; "but I've brought a basket to-day, so let's go now to the
cove and get specimens while we're waiting."

If the girls were early at the meeting-place the little boy was earlier
still. The long perambulator was standing by the roadside when they
reached the path to the cove. Lizzie, the servant girl,