happened
that when she entered this walk her courage was put to a severe test, for
Lurcher, the farmer's bulldog, happened to be loose. As a rule he was
kept tied up. Now, Lurcher was a very discerning person. He attacked
beggars in a most ferocious manner, but as to ladies and gentlemen a
fierce bout of barking was sufficient. Pen, however, looked like neither
a beggar nor a lady or gentleman. Lurcher did not know what to make of
Pen. Some one so small and so untidy could scarcely be a visitor. She was
much too short and much too stout, and her little legs were bleeding from
the thorny brambles that she had come through during her journey.
Accordingly Lurcher, with a low growl and a swift bound, pinned poor
little Pen by the skirt of her short frock. He was sufficiently a
gentleman not to hurt her, but he had not the least idea of letting her
go. He pinned her even more firmly when she moved an inch away from him,
and when she raised her voice he growled. He not only growled, but he
shook her dress fiercely. Already she felt it snap from its waistband
under Lurcher's terrible teeth. She was a very brave child, but her
present predicament was almost more than she could bear. How long it
lasted no one quite knew. Then there came a stride across the gravel, a
shout from Farmer King, and Pen was transferred from the ground into his
sheltering arms.

"You poor little thing!" he said. "You poor little bit of a lass! Now,
you don't tell me you are one of the Dales? You have their eyes--black as
black most of them are. Are you a Dale?"

"Course I am," answered Penelope. "I'm Penelope Dale. He's a shocking bad
dog. I never thought I could be frightened. I was 'termined to come, but
I never thought you kept such a shocking, awful dog as that."

"I am more sorry than I can say, my little dear. I wonder now who let the
brute out. He'll catch it from me, whoever he is. Here, Nancy! Hullo,
Nancy! Come along here, quick!"

Nancy, looking fresh and smiling, stepped out of the open French window.

"Why," she said when she saw Pen, "wherever did you drop from?"

Pen began to cry.

"I wor 'termined to come," she said. "I wanted to see you most tur'ble
bad."

"Poor little thing!" said the farmer. "She's got a bit of a fright. What
do you think, Nancy? Lurcher had little miss by her skirt. He'd pinned
her, so to speak, and he wouldn't let go, not if she fainted; and she was
that brave, little dear, that she didn't do anything but