led her to make out by her little watch that it was two o'clock
when she started. She felt no fear of bears or wolves now, for her whole
mind and soul were filled with the one idea of going home. She would
have started, had the road been lined with hot ploughshares, so
indomitable was her will and so strong her resolution. She gave no
thought or heed to possible difficulties or dangers. She knew the way,
there was no chance of getting lost, and she had in her bag money enough
to buy a ticket home. She felt guilty and even ashamed at leaving her
kind friends in this manner, but that thought was swallowed up and lost
sight of in the terrible gnawing agony of her longing for home.

So she set forth along the path at a swift, steady gait which promised
fair for the accomplishment of her design. As she walked along the stars
seemed brighter and seemed to wink at her more kindly, as if willing to
do all they could to help along a poor little homesick, mother-lonely
child. Though without hat or coat, her swift pace kept her warm enough
for a time, but at last poor little Dolly grew very weary. She had not
walked much since her illness and her newly mended leg felt the strain
and began to ache terribly. She sat down to rest on a flat stone and was
surprised to find that her leg ached worse sitting down than it had
walking. Moreover, when she stopped exercising, she became very chilly
and in addition to this she realised afresh that she was exceedingly
hungry.

Poor little Dolly! She could scarcely have been more physically
miserable, and yet her material discomfort was as nothing to her pangs
of homesickness. She felt she could not pursue her journey, and yet it
made her shudder to think of returning to that awful camp.

So after a time, hoping she had rested enough, she rose and plodded on
again. She kept up this means of procedure, walking until utterly
exhausted and then stopping to rest, until somehow she managed to cover
the distance to the station.

It was half-past four when she reached the forlorn little building and
found it closed and deserted. But there was a bench outside and Dolly
sank upon this in a state bordering upon utter collapse. She fell asleep
there and was only awakened when, shortly before six, the station agent
came to unlock his office.

"Bless my soul! who are you?" he exclaimed, and Dolly sat up blinking in
the early sunlight.

"I'm a passenger," she said; "I want to take the early train."

"