"Please don't
cry, poor mamma," he said; "we _will_ be good and happy."

Then their father came in and hurried them off, and the farewells were
over--that part of them, at least, for the saying goodbye to Captain
Desart at the junction was rather hard too.

And at last Floss and Carrots find themselves at the height of their
ambition--alone in a railway carriage travelling to auntie's! But they
do not seem so delighted as they used to fancy they would; they do not
jump about and laugh and chatter in their overflowing pleasure--they sit
quite still, side by side, holding each other's hands and with little
quiet grave faces.

"Things never come the same as people fancy," said Floss at last. "We
never thought we should go to auntie's because poor mamma was ill, did
we Carrots?"

"No, we never did," said Carrots. "But mamma will soon get better,
won't she, Floss, at that nice warm place?"

"Oh yes, of course she will," said Floss. "But it's a long way away
Carrots, and I never thought going to auntie's would be like this."

"No," agreed Carrots again, "we never did."

"I'm so sorry to leave them all, aren't you, Carrots?" said Floss, her
voice trembling a little.

"Yes," said Carrots; "and Floss, I'm very sorry, too, to leave the sea.
I never left the sea before, you know."

"But the _sea_ won't miss you," said Floss, "and poor mamma and nursie
and all of them _will_ miss us. That's what I keep thinking of."

"When should we eat our dinner, Floss?" said Carrots, with an instinct
that it would be as well to change the subject.

"Not just yet. When we've gone about half way would do; and papa said
that great big place, Millingham, would be about half way."

"But if there were any other people to get into the carriage?" said
Carrots.

"Well, it wouldn't matter," said Floss. "People must eat when they are
travelling."

"But wouldn't we have to ask them to have some too?" suggested Carrots.

"I don't know," said Floss; "I never thought of that. Perhaps it _would_
be polite. But there are only eight sandwiches, Carrots; eight
sandwiches and four sponge cakes and a packet of Albert biscuits. I hope
a great many people won't get in."

No one got in at the next station. Only the guard put his head in at the
door, as Captain Desart had asked him to do, to see how the little pair
were getting on. Carrots had thoughts of offering _him_ a sandwich, but
he disappeared before there was time to do so, which Floss though