a child, and its way of moving was a sort
of jerky waddle through the bracken, very remarkable to see. Whatever it
was, dwarf or goblin, it found its way difficult to steer, poor thing,
for there, with a sudden fly, over it went altogether and lay for a
moment or two struggling and twisting, till at last it managed to get up
again and painfully strove to pursue its way.

The children's mother called their nurse.

"Esther," she said, "I cannot imagine what that creature is coming down
the road. But it is in trouble evidently. Run off and see if you can
help." Off ran kind-hearted Esther, and soon she was rewarded for her
trouble. For as she got near to the queer-shaped bundle, she saw two
pairs of eyes peering out at her, from the two arm-holes of the
waterproof cloak, and in a moment the mystery was explained. Ted, in his
anxiety for the two girls, had wrapped them up _together_ in the cloak
which his mother had left, and literally "bundled" them off, with the
advice to get home as quickly as possible, while he followed with his
loaded truck, the wood covered as well as he could manage with leafy
branches which he tore down.

But "possible" was not quickly at all in the case of poor Cissy and her
companion. Polly was of a calm and placid nature, with something of the
resignation to evils that one sees in the peasant class all over the
world; but Narcissa, impulsive and sensitive, with her dainty dislike
to mud, and her unaccustomedness to such adventures, could not long
restrain her tears, and under the waterproof cloak she cried sadly,
feeling frightened too at the angry gusts of rain and wind which sounded
to her like the voices of ogres waiting to seize them and carry them off
to some dreadful cavern.

The summit of their misfortunes seemed reached when they toppled over
and lay for a moment or two helplessly struggling on the wet ground. But
oh, what delight to hear Esther's kind voice, and how Cissy clung to her
and sobbed out her woes! She was more than half comforted again by the
time they reached the farm-house, and just as mother was considering
whether it would not be better to undress them in the kitchen before the
fire and bring down their dry clothes, Master Ted, "very wet, yes very
wet, oh very wet indeed," made his appearance, with rosy cheeks and a
general look of self-satisfaction.

"Did they get home all right?" he said, cheerily. "It _was_ a good thing
you brought the cloak, mother. And the wood