They entered Cheltenham at about half-past eleven, and were having lunch on the top of Leckhampton Hill, on the other side of it, by half-past one.
Robert had not allowed any stop in Cheltenham except for shopping."We don't want towns," he said, "except historic ones.""But this is historic," said Jack; "Jessop was at school here."The pull up Leckhampton Hill was very stiff, and they were all glad to take lunch easily, and since Robert had arranged a short day--only three or four miles more, to a very nice-looking spot on the other side of Birdlip--they rested with clear consciences; and, as it happened, rested again in the Birdlip Hotel, where they had tea in the garden overlooking the Severn Valley on the top of just such a precipice as Bredon.
It was half-past three before they started again on their next five miles, and they had done about three of them, and had just passed Teddington, when Gregory, who was walking with Kink beside Moses, suddenly dashed ahead towards a bundle which was lying in the middle of the road.
He bent down over it, and then began to shriek for the others to come too.
"What is it?" cried Jack, as they raced up.
"It's a baby!" Gregory said, wild with excitement."A real baby!"Janet, who had been behind, sprang forward as she heard these remarkable words, and easily reached the bundle first.
"So it is," she exclaimed, picking it tenderly up and opening the wraps round its face.
It was a swarthy mite, very tightly bound into its clothes.
"What an extraordinary thing!" said Mary."Fancy finding a baby on the road!""It has probably been abandoned," said Hester."Very likely it is of noble birth, and was stolen by gipsies and stained brown, and now they are afraid of pursuit and have left it.""How could it be of noble birth?" Gregory asked."Look how hideous it is!""Looks have nothing to do with high lineage," said Hester."There have been very ugly kings.""It isn't hideous," said Janet."It's a perfect darling.But what are we to do with it?""If it's a boy," said Gregory, "let's keep it and make it into a long-stop.
We want one badly." (Gregory, as I have said, hated fielding.)"Let's adopt it," said Hester."Mother often says how she wishes we were still babies.""Don't let's adopt it if it's a girl," said Gregory.
"It doesn't matter what a baby is," said Hester,--"whether it's a boy or a girl.The important thing is that it's a baby.When it gets too big, we can let it go.""I'm dreadfully afraid," said Janet, "that we shall have to try to find out whose it is and give it back now.""Well," said Mary, "we needn't try too hard, need we?""How are you going to try, anyway?" Jack asked, with some scorn."You can't stop everyone you see and say, 'Have you lost a baby?' This old man just coming along, for instance.""Wouldn't a good way," said Robert, "be to write a little placard:
FOUND, A BABY.
Inquire Within.
and stick it on the caravan?"
They liked that idea, but Janet suggested that it would be best to ask Kink first.
"There's only one thing to do," said Kink, "and that is to hand it over to the police at the next place we come to.""Police again!" said Horace."You're always talking of the police.""Well," said Kink, "that's what they're for.And if you think a moment or two, you'll all see what a trouble a baby would be.We shall reach Oxenton in a little while, and we can leave the baby there."But, as it happened, they had no need to, for there suddenly appeared before them a caravan covered with baskets which was being urged towards them by a young woman who tugged at the horse's head in a kind of frenzy.
As she drew nearer they could hear that she was wailing.
"It must be her baby," said Janet, holding the bundle up; but the woman did not see it, and Janet told Jack to run on quickly and meet her, and tell her that they had the baby and it was not hurt.
Jack did so, and the woman left the horse to be cared for by the man and boy who walked behind, and ran to Janet, and seized the bundle from her, and hugged it so tightly that the baby, for the first time, uttered a little cry.
"Where did you find it?" the gipsy woman asked; and Janet told her the story.
"It must have rolled out of the van while I was in front with the horse,"said the gipsy."We didn't miss it.We've had to come back three miles at least."By this time the two caravans had met, and the man was brought up by the woman and told the story, and they all expressed their gratitude to Janet for nursing the child so kindly.
"Bless your pretty heart!" the gipsy woman said again and again, while her husband asked if there was anything that they could do for her and her party.
"I don't think so," said Janet."We liked to take care of it, of course."The gipsy man asked a number of questions about the Slowcoach, and then suggested that he should show them a good place to camp, and make their fire for them, and he added: "I'll tell you what--you all come and have supper with us.I'll bet you've talked about playing at gipsies often enough; well, we'll get a real gipsy supper--a slap-up one.What's the time?"He looked at the sun."Nearly five.Well, we'll have supper at half-past seven, and we'll do you proud.Will you come?"Janet considered.
"Of course, Janet," said Robert.
"Why don't you say yes?" said Gregory.
Hester shrank a little towards the Slowcoach, and Janet went to talk to Kink.
She came back and thanked the gipsy, but said that they would not all come, but the boys would gladly do so.
