rick, Magsie, and Una, while she and Lesbia
undertook the ducks. The show was to be held in a field not very far
away. To reach it would mean a considerable walk along the road, but
there was a short cut across the meadows. They marched along in a little
procession, each carefully carrying an "entry", and had arrived
successfully almost at the very end of their journey. To get into the
show field they must cross a plank-bridge over a brook and climb a
stile. This feat the Websters performed with ease, but Lesbia, who was
not so accustomed to country life, found it a very difficult matter to
manoeuvre with a fat white Aylesbury clasped in her arms. The others
never suspected she was in trouble and hopped over the stile without
offering her any assistance. She made a gallant effort to follow them,
but her foot tripped on the second bar; to save a fall she clutched the
post, Daddles seized the golden opportunity, and with a loud quack of
joy careered flapping down the field. It was a terrible chase to catch
their escaped pet, because Regina, Derrick, Magsie, and Una had to hold
tight to their own burdens as well as assist Lesbia to recapture hers,
but after much active exercise Daddles was at last surrounded and
cornered, and carried off to Cage 49 in the poultry section.

Having seen their exhibits duly settled, the young people were obliged
to retire from the grounds while the judging took place. They returned,
however, at noon, and were some of the very first to enter the show when
it opened. It was quite a gay scene. A tent in the centre of the field
held stalls with specimens of cut flowers, plants in pots, and prize
vegetables. There were mammoth marrows, enormous pea-pods, giant
potatoes, huge apples, and black currants of tempting size and ripeness,
grown (according to their label) under the protection of netting to
preserve them from birds. Big pots of fuchsias and geraniums made a
brave splash of colour, and asters, zinnias, pansies, and other
florists' favourites displayed their beauties on little paper frills.
Bouquets of garden, greenhouse, and wild flowers formed a special
section on a table of their own, banked by a collection of ferns. In
lieu of a local band a gramophone was giving a performance with rather
scratchy records and a vast amount of burring. The Websters only peeped
into the tent, then set off almost at a run for the poultry section,
which was to them the chief centre of attraction. A large blue