to extract anything more from B. Munn,
grocer; and there was an anxious silence while he fiddled about behind
the counter among the tinned meats and sauce bottles, with a fringe of
hob-nailed boots hanging over his head.

H. O. spoke suddenly. He is like the sort of person who rushes in where
angels fear to tread, as Denny says (say what sort of person that is).
He said:

"I say, you remember driving us home that day. Who paid for the cart?"

Of course B. Munn, grocer, was not such a nincompoop (I like that word,
it means so many people I know) as to say right off. He said:

"I was paid all right, young gentleman. Don't you terrify yourself."

People in Kent say terrify when they mean worry.

So Dora shoved in a gentle oar. She said:

"We want to know the kind lady's name and address, so that we can write
and thank her for being so jolly that day."

B. Munn, grocer, muttered something about the lady's address being goods
he was often asked for. Alice said, "But do tell us. We forgot to ask
her. She's a relation of a second-hand uncle of ours, and I do so want
to thank her properly. And if you've got any extra strong peppermints at
a penny an ounce, we should like a quarter of a pound."

This was a master-stroke. While he was weighing out the peppermints his
heart got soft, and just as he was twisting up the corner of the paper
bag, Dora said, "What lovely fat peppermints! Do tell us."

And B. Munn's heart was now quite melted, and he said:

"It's Miss Ashleigh, and she lives at The Cedars--about a mile down the
Maidstone Road."

We thanked him, and Alice paid for the peppermints. Oswald was a little
anxious when she ordered such a lot, but she and Noel had got the money
all right, and when we were outside on Hazelbridge Green (a good deal of
it is gravel, really), we stood and looked at each other.

Then Dora said:

"Let's go home and write a beautiful letter and all sign it."

Oswald looked at the others. Writing is all very well, but it's such a
beastly long time to wait for anything to happen afterwards.

The intelligent Alice divined his thoughts, and the Dentist divined
hers--he is not clever enough yet to divine Oswald's--and the two said
together:

"Why not go and see her?"

"She _did_ say she would like to see us again some day," Dora replied.
So after we had argued a little about it we went.

And before we had gone a hundred yards down the dusty road Martha began
to make us wish with all