ulity with which
Darsie leaped to her feet, must have been heard to the end of the
platform. She rushed forward, clutched his arm, and hugged it fast in
the rapture of relief.

"Oh, Dan--you angel--you angel! Have you dropped down straight from the
skies?"

"Not I! Nothing so easy. Scorched along bad roads on a rickety
machine. Would you be kind enough to let go my arm and stop shrieking!
You'll have the whole village here in a moment. So _you're_ all right,
I see! Sitting quietly here, after scaring us half out of our wits--"

"I think _I'm_ the one to be scared! You were all ready enough to go
on, and leave me stranded by myself. I've gone through a martyrdom.
Dan! tell me, when did you miss me first?"

Dan gave an expressive grimace. He looked hot and dusty, and thankful
to sit down on the leather bench.

"Well, it was too much of a scrimmage to think of anything for the first
few miles, but things have a way of printing themselves on one's brain,
and when I _did_ begin to think, there seemed something missing! I
remembered Vie's face--the colour of a beetroot, and Clemence limping in
the rear. I remembered John and Russell hauling up Hannah by her arms,
and the two mothers were safely in their carriage--I'd made sure of
that, but--I couldn't remember a thing about _you_! Then I asked Vie,
and she said you were a long way behind, and I began to guess what had
happened. At the first stop I did a rush round, and--there you weren't!
So of course I came back."

"But how--how? There was no train. Did you cycle? Where did you get
your machine?"

"Borrowed him from the stationmaster, and left my watch in exchange, in
case I never went back. Jolly good exchange for him, too. It's the
worst machine I ever rode, and that's saying a good deal. I told your
mother I'd bring you back all right, and persuaded her to go home. What
on earth possessed you to be such a muff?"

Darsie tossed her head, gratitude giving place to wounded pride.

"Muff, indeed! You don't know what you are talking about, or you
wouldn't be so unkind. I ran like the rest, but I fell--caught my foot
on something, and fell on my face. I believe I fainted." There was an
irrepressible note of pride in her voice as she made this last
statement, for fainting, being unknown in the healthy Garnett family,
was regarded as a most interesting and aristocratic accomplishment. "I
do believe I fainted, for for several minutes I didn't k