was ready to take them at a
reasonable figure. The two vans, with awnings and curtains in the
height of fashion, and horses with tasselled ear-caps, and
everything handsome about them, were already drawn up in the
midst of a group of excited children, and scarcely less excited
mothers, when Tom arrived. Grey was arranging his forces, and
labouring to reduce the Irish children, who formed almost half
his ragged little flock, into something like order, before
starting. By degrees this was managed, and Tom was placed in
command of the rear van, while Grey reserved the leading one to
himself. The children were divided and warned not to lean over
the sides and fall out--a somewhat superfluous caution--as most
of them, though unused to riding in any legitimate manner, were
pretty well used to balancing themselves behind any vehicle which
offered as much as a spike to sit on, out of sight of the driver.
Then came the rush into the vans. Grey and Tom took up their
places next the doors as conductors, and the procession lumbered
off with great success, and much shouting from treble voices.

Tom soon found that he had plenty of work on his hands to keep
the peace among his flock. The Irish element was in a state of
wild effervescence, and he had to draft them down to his own end,
leaving the foremost cart of the van to the soberer English
children. He was much struck by the contrast of the whole set to
the Englebourn school children, whom he had lately seen under
somewhat similar circumstances. The difficulty with them had been
to draw them out, and put anything like life into them; here, all
he had to do was to suppress the superabundant life. However, the
vans held on their way, and got safely into the suburbs, and so
at last to an occasional hedge, and a suspicion of trees, and
green fields beyond.

It became more and more difficult now to keep the boys in; and
when they came to a hill, where the horses had to walk, he
yielded to their entreaties, and, opening the door, let them out,
insisting only that the girls should remain seated. They
scattered over the sides of the roads, and up the banks; now
chasing pigs and fowls up to the very doors of their owners; now
gathering the commonest roadside weeds, and running up to show
them to him, and ask their names, as if they were rare treasures.
The ignorance of most of the children as to the commonest country
matters astonished him. One small boy particularly came back time
a