"It's not true, is it, that when all the cows in a field stand up it's going to rain?""Don't you think Bredon Hill would be a ripping place to start to fly from?""Shall we stop and cook our dinner, or have cold things?""It's not true, is it, that whenever you see a white horse you see a red-haired girl? I suppose that means only in London, where there are so many people?""Do you know that you can't walk over London Bridge without seeing a white horse?""Do you think that Moses is ever going to have a stone in his shoe so that I can get it out with my knife? Couldn't we drive him over a very stony place?""You can't really tell the time by dandelions, can you?"And so forth, till Kink's head would have ached if he had not trained it not to.
Gregory was rattling on in this way when suddenly they heard a screaming and scrambling and thudding behind them, and a moment later a chaise with a little girl in it, drawn by a pair of grey ponies, dashed past at a fearful pace, only just avoiding the caravan, and disappeared in a cloud of dust;and then after a minute or so came a tremendous shattering crash, and all was still.
"It's a smash-up," said Kink, urging Moses into a trot."We must help them;" and at the same time Hester's white face appeared at the window and implored Kink to drive faster.
In a minute or so they saw a moving mass at the side of the road, which they knew to be the broken chaise, and a farm labourer holding the head of the one pony that was on its feet.Kink tied Moses to a gate-post, and ran to the man's help, telling the children to wait a moment.Both were rather frightened, and they stood hand in hand by Moses and watched.
They saw Kink lift something from the chaise and lay it on the grass.Then they saw him hacking at the harness with his pruning-knife until the pony was free, when the man led it to another gate-post and tied it there.Then Kink hacked again, and drew the carriage away from the pony that was lying on the ground; and then he and the man lifted the bundle once more and came with it very carefully to the Slowcoach, Kink calling out to Gregory to open the door and put some pillows on the floor.
When Kink and the man reached the Slowcoach, Hester saw that they were carrying a girl of about her own age, who was lying in their arms quite still, with her eyes closed.
They placed her gently on the cushions, and Kink dashed a little water on her face.
After a moment or so she opened her eyes and asked where she was.
"You're all right," said Hester."You've had an accident.We're taking care of you."Then the little girl remembered."The ponies!" she cried."Are they hurt?""I'm afraid one of them is," said Kink."But never mind now.The great thing is that you weren't thrown out.Keep quiet now, missie, and we'll look after everything."But the little girl would not be silenced.
"Which one is hurt?" she asked."Which one? Is it Marshall or Snelgrove?""I don't know," said Kink."They're both alike.""Oh, no, they're not," said the little girl."Marshall has a white star between his eyes.Oh, do say Marshall's all right! Marshall's my very own.""I'll go and see," said Gregory; and he ran off, and came back to say that Marshall was the one that seemed to be all right, but Snelgrove had broken his leg and couldn't move.
"Oh, I'm so glad about Marshall," said the girl; "but poor Tommy, how sorry he'll be!""See if you can get up, missie," said Kink."I want to know if you're hurt anywhere."The little girl sat up and then stood up."I feel all right," she said, "only very giddy."Kink uttered a sigh of relief."Drink this cold water," he said."That will make you much better.And now tell us all about the accident, because we shall have to let your people know.""Well," said the little girl, "mother and I were driving to Ashton to see Aunt May; and mother had just got out to leave the _British Workman_ at old Mr.Dimmock's, when the ponies took fright and ran away.I held the reins as long as I could, and when I saw your caravan in front I screamed to warn you, and then there was a terrible crash, and I don't remember anything else.""And what will your poor mamma be doing?" said Kink.
"Oh, poor mother!" said the little girl."She'll be so nervous! But she'll be coming after us as fast as she can, because she saw them start off.""Then I think," said Kink, "the best thing to do is for us to leave this man here to mind the ponies and tell your mamma you're all right; and we'll go on to Ashton as quick as we can, and send back some help.We'll take you to your aunt's, missie, and the man will tell your mamma when she comes up what we've done.I'm so glad you're not hurt."So Hester and Gregory were left with the little girl, who told them her name was Patricia Mordan, and she was ten, and they lived near Fladbury, and she had a King Charles spaniel; while Kink urged Moses towards Ashton, which was only a mile or so away.
Hester put the kettle on the Beatrice stove, thinking that tea was the best thing, and Gregory sat down and looked at their guest, and thought what a splendid adventure it was to tell the others about when they met them later.
Patricia, who was now in a deck-chair, examined the caravan in a kind of ecstasy."What a lovely place it is!" she said."Do you really live here?
How scrumptiously exciting!"
"My bed's over there," said Gregory.
"Where do you stop at night?" Patricia asked.
"I have to go to the farmers and get leave to camp on their land," said Gregory.
"And is it just you two and the driver?" Patricia asked.
"Oh, no," said Gregory; "there are five others, but they are walking over Bredon Hill.They said we could not walk so far, which is rot, of course; but I'm glad we didn't, because then we shouldn't have been here to save your life.""Mother will be very grateful to you for being so kind," said Patricia.
"Poor mother! she'll be so frightened about me.And Tommy--how dreadful for him to lose Snelgrove!""Who's Tommy?" Gregory asked.
"Tommy's my brother," said Patricia."He's twelve.Aunt May gave Snelgrove to him and Marshall to me last Christmas.They've never run away before.Iwish we had a caravan."
"Caravans are very jolly," said Gregory."Things are always happening, too.""I'd rather have a sweet grey pony than a caravan," said Hester, bringing a cup of tea.
