e cart, and the two children huddled up
close together. Mother Rodesia got in with them, and sat down at the
opposite side, with her knees huddled up close to her chin. The man
called Jack mounted the driver's seat, whacked the pony with two or
three hard touches of his whip and away they bounded.

The night was very dark, and the cart rattled roughly, and jolted and
banged the children about, but Orion felt comforted and contented
after his good supper, and Diana's fat little arm felt warm round his
neck, and soon his head rested on her shoulder and he was sound
asleep. Not so little Diana. She sat wide awake and gazed hard at the
woman, whose dark eyes were seen to flash now and then as the party
jolted over the roads.

"Tell him to go k'icker," said Diana. "I must get home afore Uncle
William goes to bed. Aunt Jane might beat me again, and I don't want
to be beated. Tell him to go k'icker, Mother 'Odesia."

CHAPTER XVI.

UNCLE BEN.

Mother Rodesia was most kind and obliging. The pony was whipped up,
and now it seemed to Diana's excited fancy that they quite flew over
the road. She felt for her broken bow, which she had laid by her side,
then she cuddled up closer to Orion, and whispered to herself:

"Mother 'Odesia's a good woman when all's said, done. She has gived us
supper and soon we'll be home; and Uncle William won't be in bed, and
he won't let c'uel Aunt Jane beat me. It's all wight; I may just as
well go to s'eep, 'cos I is drefful s'eepy, and it's late. I wonder if
the night will be starful, and if I'll see Orion up in the sky.
Anyhow, there's no stars at pwesent, and I had best go to s'eep."

So the little girl cuddled herself up close to her brother, and soon
the big dark eyes were shut, and she was happy in the land of dreams.

When this happened, Mother Rodesia softly and stealthily changed her
position. She stretched out her hand and touched Jack on his arm. This
seemed to have been an arranged signal, for he drew up the pony at
once.

They were still under the shelter of the great woods which extended
for miles over that part of the country.

"We had best begin to change their clothes now," said Mother Rodesia.
"They are both as sound as nails, and I don't want the clothes to be
seen by Ben, for he's safe to pawn 'em, and if he pawns 'em the police
may get 'em, and then the children may be traced, and we may get into
hot water."

"But, mother," said Jack, "do you dare to disturb t