a moment looking after him and wondering how old I would
have to be, to have him go to the trouble of getting his watch out. And
then, all of a sudden, the rain came down in torrents.

I have never seen it rain so hard. It got dark, almost like night. The
wind began to blow; the thunder rolled; the lightning flashed, and in a
moment the gutters of the road were flowing like a river. There was no
place handy to take shelter, so I put my head down against the driving
wind and started to run towards home.

I hadn't gone very far when my head bumped into something soft and I sat
down suddenly on the pavement. I looked up to see whom I had run into.
And there in front of me, sitting on the wet pavement like myself, was a
little round man with a very kind face. He wore a shabby high hat and in
his hand he had a small black bag.

"I'm very sorry," I said. "I had my head down and I didn't see you
coming."

To my great surprise, instead of getting angry at being knocked down,
the little man began to laugh.

"You know this reminds me," he said, "of a time once when I was in
India. I ran full tilt into a woman in a thunderstorm. But she was
carrying a pitcher of molasses on her head and I had treacle in my hair
for weeks afterwards--the flies followed me everywhere. I didn't hurt
you, did I?"

"No," I said. "I'm all right."

"It was just as much my fault as it was yours, you know," said the
little man. "I had my head down too--but look here, we mustn't sit
talking like this. You must be soaked. I know I am. How far have you got
to go?"

"My home is on the other side of the town," I said, as we picked
ourselves up.

"My Goodness, but that was a wet pavement!" said he. "And I declare it's
coming down worse than ever. Come along to my house and get dried. A
storm like this can't last."

He took hold of my hand and we started running back down the road
together. As we ran I began to wonder who this funny little man could
be, and where he lived. I was a perfect stranger to him, and yet he was
taking me to his own home to get dried. Such a change, after the old
red-faced Colonel who had refused even to tell me the time! Presently we
stopped.

"Here we are," he said.

I looked up to see where we were and found myself back at the foot of
the steps leading to the little house with the big garden! My new friend
was already running up the steps and opening the gate with some keys he
took from his pocket.

"Surely," I thoug