lf in the glass.

Unlike Mr. Withells, she saw nothing there to give her any satisfaction.
She shook her head at the person in the glass and said aloud:

"If that's all you get by trying to be sensible, the sooner you become a
drivelling idiot the better for your peace of mind--and your vanity."

The person in the glass shook her head back at Jan, and Jan turned away
thoroughly disgusted with such a futile sort of _tu quoque_.

CHAPTER XXI

ANOTHER WAY OF LOVE

Meg and the children, returning from their tea-party at the vicarage,
were stopped continually in their journey through the main street by
friendly folk who wanted to greet the children. It was quite a triumphal
progress, and Meg was feeling particularly proud that afternoon, for her
charges, including William, had all behaved beautifully. Little Fay had
refrained from snatching other children's belongings with the cool
remark, "Plitty little Fay would like 'at"; Tony had been quite merry
and approachable; and William had offered paws and submitted to
continual pullings, pushings and draggings with exemplary patience.

Once through the friendly, dignified old street, they reached the main
road, which was bordered by rough grass sloping to a ditch surmounted by
a thick thorn hedge. They were rather late, and Meg was wheeling little
Fay as fast as she could, Tony trotting beside her to keep up, when a
motor horn was sounded behind them and a large car came along at a good
speed. They were all well to the side of the road, but William--with the
perverse stupidity of the young dog--above all, of the young
bull-terrier--chose that precise moment to gambol aimlessly right into
the path of the swiftly-coming motor, just as it seemed right upon him;
and this, regardless of terrified shouts from Meg and the children,
frantic sounding of the horn and violent language from the driver of the
car.

It seemed that destruction must inevitably overtake William when the car
swerved violently as the man ran it down the sloping bank, where it
stuck, leaving William, unscathed and rather alarmed by all the clamour,
to run back to his family.

Meg promptly whacked him as hard as she could, whereupon, much
surprised, he turned over on his back, waving four paws feebly in the
air.

"Why don't you keep your dog at the side?" the man shouted with very
natural irritation as he descended from his seat.

"He's a naughty--stupid--puppy," Meg ejaculated between the whacks