ongs to this gentleman's children."

Janet gasped. "But it was sent to us," she said at last.

"No," said Mr. Amory; "I beg your pardon, young lady, but it was sent
to us. It came to you in error."

Janet looked questioningly at her mother, and Mrs. Avory nodded yes.
Hester and Gregory now entered the room to insist on their mother
either coming out or giving leave for some of the street children to be
allowed to go inside the caravan. But Mr. Amory interposed. "No," he
said. "I prefer not. They are rarely clean."

Gregory looked at him in dismay.

"Mother!" he exclaimed.

"Janet," whispered Mrs. Avory, who knew her youngest son, "take Gregory
away, and keep him out of sight till they go."

"But we," Mr. Amory resumed, "will examine the caravan. I suppose there
was no inventory."

"No," said Mrs. Avory.

"Very unfortunate," he muttered, "and very unsystematic. However, we
must hope for the best;" and so saying he led the way toward the yard,
with his meek little sons, who had said not a word, but appeared to
wish themselves well out of the affair, behind him.

Kink had already unharnessed Moses, and the Slowcoach stood at rest.
Mr. Amory first went to examine a place on the wheel where a gate-post
had removed some of the paint, and he then put a foot on the step; but
Diogenes sprang up and growled so seriously that he withdrew.

"Please remove the dog," he said.

While this was being done, and the father and his two sons were inside,
Janet explained the situation to the others. They refused at first to
believe it.

"Do you mean to say," Robert exclaimed, "that the Slowcoach isn't ours
at all?"

"Yes," said Janet.

"It belongs to those measly pip-squeaks?" said Robert.

"Yes," said Janet.

Robert held his head in a kind of stupor.

CHAPTER 24

THE END

They had a very solemn tea. Everyone was depressed and mortified.

"We couldn't help it, could we, mother?" Janet said several times.

"Of course not," said Mrs. Avory. "It's no one's fault except the
foolish man who brought the caravan here. What has Kink said about it?"
But as no one had asked him, he was called to the cedar-tree, beneath
which tea was laid on fine days.

"Here's a go, mum," he said.

"What did the man say who brought the caravan?" Mrs. Avory said.

"As near as I can remember he showed me the letter, and said, 'Is that
all right?' I looked at it, and read, 'To be given to Mrs. Avory' on
it, so I said, 'Yes,' Then he