w and hear
what father has got to say."

Pauline got up willingly enough and went downstairs. There was a groaning
breakfast on the board. On most occasions the farmers' servants ate below
the salt, but now only the farmer and his daughter Nancy were present.

"Here's cake worth eating," said the farmer, "and new-laid eggs worth
taking; and here's honey the like of which is not to be found anywhere
else, even in the New Forest. And here's chicken rissoles, and here's
cooked ham. Now, missy, fall to--fall to."

Pauline ate very little, and then she turned to the farmer.

"And now you want me to help you?" he said.

"I want you to take me to the seaside. I want Nancy to come, too. I want
to go where the waves are high, and where I can wash and be clean."

"My word!" said the farmer, "what does the little lass say?"

"I don't want to go home. I can't go home. If I am alone with you and
with Nancy I might get better. Don't let me go home."

"My lass, my lass, you have applied to Farmer King in your trouble, and
Farmer King won't desert you. I have not the most remote notion what
trouble it can be that worrits a poor little lass, but, such as it is,
Farmer King will be your friend. There is no doubt, my dear, that when
they miss you at The Dales they will come to look for you here, and what
am I to do?"

"Hide me! Oh, hide me! I can't go home."

"What a lark!" cried Nancy. "We could, couldn't we, father?"

"And we won't," said the farmer, bringing his hand down with a great bang
on the table. "What we do we'll do above-board. We did wrong that time in
the summer when we took miss to that picnic and got her into trouble. Now
we're bound to see her out of her trouble. It has to do with that night
partly, hasn't it, missy?"

"I have never been happy since," said Pauline.

"Well, then, my dear, I said I would help you out if the time came, and I
will. You shall stay here--I vow it--and I am just going to get on my
horse Caesar, and I shall ride over to The Dales this blessed minute. You
leave it to me. You leave it all to me, my dear."

CHAPTER XXVIII.

FARMER KING.

Since Pauline's illness she had very often not been down in time for
breakfast. The fact, therefore, that she did not appear on this special
morning caused no excitement in the mind of any one. Miss Tredgold was so
much absorbed in the task which lay before her that she scarcely noticed
the little girl's absence; nurse would see to her, wo