d it fastened.

She threw the parcel over, climbed up the five wooden bars, and was
going to climb down on the other side when she felt the great, warm,
wet lips of the calf playing with her left ankle. She gave one screech
of horror and threw herself head-foremost to the ground. It was soft
and mossy, and she rose, shaken and bruised, and with a hole in the
knee of each stocking.

But she had escaped from the calf. The copse or wood into which she
had entered was dark and cool. A pathway went curving in and out
among the trees. At a sharp turn she came suddenly upon a big man
with a beard, who pointed a gun full at her, and said, "Stand, or I'll
fire!"

This was her fourth misfortune.

Here was a dreadful, cruel robber such as she had read about in
badly-printed penny books, and he would shoot her dead in half a
minute. She gave a scream and turned to run back, but the man strode
after her and laid a huge hand on her shoulder. At this she screamed
and danced with terror.

"Now, now," roared the man, "stop that row! What are you doing here?"

"I want to go away!" cried Juliet.

"So you shall. But answer my questions first."

Glancing up at him Juliet perceived that he was laughing. All her
fears vanished and she began to laugh too.

"What are you doing here?" asked the man again.

"I'm only walking through the wood," said Juliet, recovering her
courage. "There ain't no law against that, I suppose."

"Yes, but there is. 'Trespassers will be prosecuted with the utmost
rigour of the law.' Where do you come from?"

"From over there," and Juliet pointed behind her.

"Oh! And where are you going?"

"Over there," and she pointed before her.

The man whistled. "If you're not a Londoner, I'm a Dutchman. You're
pretty sharp, you are."

"No, I ain't," said Juliet, stolidly; "I'm that stupid and awkward
that I can't do nothing right. So I want a general place, I do."

"Oh!" said the big man, laughing; "awkward and stupid wants a place.
Hope you'll get it, miss. Well, now, look here. Go right on and get
out of the wood as quick as ten thousand lightnings, or else you'll be
prosecuted with the utmost rigour of the law."

Juliet wriggled away from under his heavy hand and ran right ahead,
thankful to escape from the gun.

She came soon to the edge of the wood and found a fence easy to climb.
On the other side of this she came into a lane which led out on a
highroad. It was now late in the day; the sun was gett