er she could advance any possible argument, such as a desire to
save strain on her mistress's arm, whereby she might induce the
Principal to allow her to take the reins and drive Baron home. They went
along Westgate, and turned the corner of Hart Street; in another two
minutes they would have been in Castle Street. Then fate interfered.
From a narrow alley on the right came sounds resembling explosives, and
three small boys, yelling gleefully, shot out into the road. Wendy,
pausing to ascertain the cause of the excitement, ejaculated the one
word, "Squibs!"

"Gee whiz! You don't mean to say they've got fireworks!" exclaimed
Diana. "Then I'm not going back till I've bought some. Here,
sonny!"--catching a bare-headed urchin by the shoulder--"tell me where
you got those squibs, and I'll give you my last bit of candy. Mrs.
Cobbes's in Beck Street? Where's Beck Street? Is it far? You ought to
come and show us for that big bit of candy."

"Can't! Got to go 'ome to my tea," returned the youth, whose small teeth
were already in the toffee. "Cobbes's is down there!" pointing an arm
like a sign-post in the direction of a by-street.

Diana and Wendy did not even wait to discuss the expediency of thus
side-tracking. The magic lure of fireworks drew them on, and with one
accord they trotted off to seek Mrs. Cobbes's shop. It took a little
hunting about and asking to find it; and then Mrs. Cobbes was stout and
slow, and seemed to need an eternity of time to wrap up their purchases
in an old piece of newspaper.

"We shall have to hurry!" said Diana, emerging at last, hugging her
parcel, and dragging Spot away from the pursuit of an impudent and
provocative tabby cat, with a torn ear, that was spitting at him from
the railings.

They did hurry. They nearly ran up Jessamine Street and Vine Street,
and clattered up the steps behind the post office into Castle Street,
and tacked through the crowd into the yard of the Queen's Hotel. A whole
row of conveyances was standing with shafts down, but the familiar
governess car was not among them. Perhaps it had been put inside the
coach-house.

"Miss Todd's trap, did you say?" replied the ostler, removing the
fag-end of a cigarette from his lips. "Why, she's gone! I harnessed her
only five minutes ago!"

Here was a blow indeed! They had never expected Miss Todd to drive away
without them, though, considering that she did not know they had been
left behind by the omnibus, she was scarcely