now your way?" he said as he opened the shop-door
for us. "What is the name of the street where you live?"

I hesitated. Curiously enough I had never heard the name of the street
where Uncle Geoff lived--I looked at Tom and Tom looked at me. He did
not know it either.

"I don't know the name of the street," I said, "but I am _sure_ we can
find the way. Can't we, Tom?"

"Oh yes, I am _sure_ we can. We live at our uncle's, Dr. Gower's," added
Tom, for which I frowned at him.

"At Dr. Gower's," repeated the chemist with surprise. "Dear me-- I don't
think your uncle would be pleased if he knew you were out alone.
However, as you say, it is very near--and I shouldn't like to get them
scolded, poor little things," he added to himself. "I can tell you the
name of the street--it is ---- Street--remember that, and now run home
as fast as you can. First turn to the right."

We thanked him again and ran off.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CHAPTER IX.

MISS GOLDY-HAIR.

"I thought at first sight that she must be a fairy."

No, I can hardly say we "_ran_" off. There were so many persons on the
pavement, that three, even very small people, could not walk along all
abreast, without some difficulty. Particularly three small people like
us who were accustomed to country lanes without any footpath at all, or
high roads where the only fellow-passengers whose way we had to get out
of were droves of nice silly sheep, or flocks of geese driven home from
the market. We knew nothing of keeping to the right hand, and thought
the passers-by were very rude and unkind when they jostled us, as indeed
they could hardly help doing. For as for letting go of each other's
hands _that_ we never for an instant thought of.

We were glad to get out of the great crowded, brightly-lighted street,
though had we been less in a hurry to get home, we should have greatly
enjoyed standing and looking in at the shop-windows, more even than by
daylight, and as it was, I was obliged two or three times to tug pretty
hard at Tom and Racey to get them away from some very tempting one. At
last however--it _did_ seem as if we had been in the big street rather
longer turning back from the chemist's than going there--afterwards I
remembered this--at last we found ourselves in what we believed to be
the same, rather narrow, darkish street where we had passed the
pillar-post.

"Which side is the pillar?" I said to Tom. "I'm sure it was on this si