ogether, in the gruffest voice you can muster. Are you ready?
One--two--three--GO ON, DANDY!"

Whether it was really the result of the deep bass tones, or Raymonde's
unexpected prod, or merely the fact that they had arrived at the
summit of the slope, the girls could not determine, but the effect on
the pony was instantaneous. He gathered all four legs together, and
gave a sudden jump, apparently of apprehension, then set off down the
hill as fast as he could tear.

"Hold him in!" yelled Aveline, alarmed at such an access of speed.

"I'm trying to!" replied Raymonde, pulling at the reins as hard as her
arms would allow.

Dandy, however, seemed determined for once to show his paces, and took
no more notice of Raymonde's checking than he had previously done of
her urgings. The little trap was flying like the wind, when without
the least warning a most unanticipated thing happened. The worn, crazy
old straps of the harness broke, and the pony, giving a wrench that
also snapped the reins, ran straight out of the shafts. The gig
promptly fell forward, precipitating both girls, amid a shower of
parcels, into the road, where they sat for a moment or two almost
dazed with the shock, watching the retreating heels of Dandy as he
fled in terror of the dangling straps that were hitting him on the
flanks.

"Are you hurt?" asked Raymonde at last, getting up and tenderly
feeling her scraped shins.

"No, only rather bruised--and astonished," replied Aveline.

Then the humour of the situation seemed to strike both, for they burst
into peals of laughter.

"What are we to do with the trap?" said Aveline. "We can't drag it
back ourselves. And what about the pony? He's playing truant!"

"And Mr. Rivers said he was so quiet and well-behaved that a baby in
arms could drive him!" declared Raymonde, much aggrieved.

"Well, they shouldn't patch their harness with bits of string!" said
Aveline. "It's very unsafe. I noticed it before we started out, but I
supposed it would be all right. Hallo! Here's Dandy back! Somebody's
caught him!"

It was the gipsy woman who made her appearance, leading the pony. She
looked rather scared, and much relieved when she saw Raymonde and
Aveline standing safe and sound in the middle of the road.

"I thought for sure someone was killed!" she remarked when she reached
the scene of the accident. Though the girls had been frightened of her
before, they were glad to see her now, for they had no notion wha