d a Junction. Nursey and I had to do that when we came here,
and I heard Gran explain it all to her, and I know it's the same going
back, for the nurse I have _now_ told me so. When she goes to London she
stays in the same railway; but if you're _not_ going to London, you have
to get into another one. And nursey and I had to wait nearly
half-an-hour, I should think, and that's the part I mind,' and, for the
first time, her eager little face looked anxious. 'The railway people
would ask me who I was, and where I was going, as, you see, I look so
much littler than I am; so I've planned for you two kind boys to come
with me to that changing station, and wait till I've got into the train
that goes to Hill Horton; that's _our_ station. I've plenty of money,'
she went on hurriedly, for, I suppose, she saw that I was looking very
grave, and Peterkin's face was pink with excitement.

'It isn't that,' I said; 'it's--it's the whole thing. Supposing you got
lost after all, it would be----'

'No, no! I won't get lost,' she said, speaking again in her very
grown-up voice. 'And remember, you're on your word of honour as
_gentlemen_!--_gentlemen_!' she repeated, 'not to tell any one without
my leave. If you do, I'll just run away by myself, and very likely get
lost or stolen, or something. And how would you feel then?'

'We are not going to break our promise,' I said. 'You needn't be
afraid.'

'I'm not,' she said, and her face grew rather red. 'I always keep _my_
word, and I expect any one I trust to keep theirs.'

And though she was such a little girl, not much older than Elvira, whom
we often called a 'baby,' I felt sure she _would_ 'keep hers.' It
certainly wouldn't mend matters to risk her starting off by herself, as
I believe she would have done if we had failed her.

It has taken longer to write down all our talking than the talking
itself did, even though it was a little interrupted by the bath-chair
man every now and then taking a turn up and down, 'just to keep Missy
moving a bit,' he said.

Margaret's plans were already so very clear in her head that she had no
difficulty in getting us to understand them thoroughly, and I don't
think I need go on about what she said, and what we said. I will tell
what we fixed to do, and what we did do.

Next Wednesday--a full week on--was the day she had settled for her
escape from Rock Terrace. It was a long time to wait, but it was the day
her nurse was pretty sure--really quite