d of a dog?"

"A dachshund," said Hester.

"Too small," said Mr. Lenox.

"A St. Bernard," said Robert.

"Too mild," said Mr. Lenox.

"A spaniel," said Janet.

"Too gentle," said Mr. Lenox.

"A fox-terrier," said Gregory.

"Not strong enough," said Mr. Lenox. "I leave it to Mr. Lenox," said
Mrs. Avory.

"Very well, then," said Mr. Lenox, "a retriever--a retriever, because
it is big and formidable, and also because, when tied up, it will
always be on the watch. We'll buy the _Exchange_ and _Mart_, and look
up retrievers. We can't hire a dog; we must buy outright there. Now,
then, Bobbie, item four?"

"Maps," said Bobbie.

"Right," said Mr. Lenox. "I wish I was coming with you."

"Do," they all cried.

"I can't," said Mr. Lenox. "If I were to go away before September, I
should get the sack, and then I should starve. His Lordship is
sufficiently cross with me now, because I had to give him out
leg-before at the annual estate match last Saturday, when I was
umpiring. He couldn't stand anything else."

That night Mrs. Avory, Uncle Christopher, Mr. Scott, and Mr. Lenox were
talking after dinner.

"It's a very wonderful present," said Mrs. Avory; "but there are two
things about it that are not quite satisfactory. One is that one likes
to know where such gifts come from, and the other is that for a party
of children to go away alone, with only Kink, is a great
responsibility." (That's a word which mothers are very fond of.)
"Suppose they're ill?"

"It's a risk you must take," said Uncle Chris. "Don't anticipate
trouble."

"Because," Mrs. Avory went on, "I should not go with them, although I
might arrange to meet them here and there on their journey. They would
like me to be with them, I know, and they would like to be without me,
I know."

"I shouldn't worry about the giver of the present," said Mr. Scott.
"You have many friends from whom you would have no objection to accept
a caravan, and there's no harm in one of those friends wishing to be
anonymous. As for the other matter, I don't see much risk so long as
Kink goes too. He's a careful and very capable old sport, and Janet's
as good a mother as you any day."

Mrs. Avory laughed. "Yes, I know that," she said. "But what about
gypsies and tramps?"

"One has always got to take a few chances," said Uncle Christopher.
"They may get things stolen now and then from the outside of the
caravan, but I should doubt if anything else happened. Kink and a goo