the shoulder, beckoned her to come with him.

She looked timidly at Mrs. Biggleswade whose eyes were closed, and
rose. Tinker drew her quietly away. They had not gone twenty yards
when a jerking nod awoke Mrs. Biggleswade, and she missed the child.
She scrambled up, turned and saw her, and cried, "Come here, you
naughty girl. Come here at once!"

"Are you Bessie Kernaby?" said Tinker to the child.

"Yeth, yeth," she said, turning to go to her tyrant.

Tinker gripped her arm, and cried, "Pstt! Pstt! Hold her, Blazer!
Hold her!" and waved him at Mrs. Biggleswade.

Blazer darted forward, growling with a fine show of teeth.

Mrs. Biggleswade, like a wise woman, stood stock-still, and sent a
shrill scream ringing down the shore, and another, and another, and
another.

Tinker caught Elizabeth's hand and cried, "Come on! Come on! We've
only just time to catch the train!" And the two children set off
running to the station.

On the edge of the sands Tinker stopped for a moment, whistled shrilly,
brought Blazer racing after them, and ran on again. He could hear the
far-away rattle of the express.

Mr. Biggleswade was too deeply engrossed in his talk with Sir Tancred
to notice the first half-dozen screams from his wife; and they came
faintly round the promontory. Then he heard them, said, "By Jove!
that's Maria!" and started to run back. Sir Tancred ran by his side.
When they came round the promontory they saw Mrs. Biggleswade waving
frantically towards the station, and half-way to it two little figures
running. Mr. Biggleswade showed himself a man of action. He swung
round, and, with the swiftness of an accomplished boxer, dealt Sir
Tancred an unexpected blow on the side of the head which knocked him
over half-stunned, and almost in the same moment started to run after
the children. He was half a mile from them, and they were less than a
quarter of a mile from the station, but naturally he ran much faster.

As the children reached the platform the express steamed in. Tinker
hurried his prize into an empty third-class carriage, in the forepart
of the train, and pushed the ticketless Blazer under the seat. Then he
put his head out of the window, and saw to his disgust Mr. Biggleswade,
his coat-tails flying, two hundred yards from the station, yelling
lustily, but making a very good pace indeed for his flabby bulk. The
doors were shutting, and Tinker watched the guard breathlessly. When
he whistled, M