llochrie?"

"I don't think you are, ma'am," Elsie replied, in her best manner.

"Oh dear!" the lady exclaimed; "how annoying when we are in such haste!
Can you direct us?"

"There's a road right over there leads to it," Elsie replied, pointing
with her hand.

"But how do we get on to the road? Does this one meet it anywhere?
Driver, don't you know?"

The driver muttered something in a rather surly fashion, whereupon the
gentleman, who had not yet spoken, leaned forward, and said angrily,
"You told us you knew this neighbourhood. You are an idiot!"

"Perhaps this little lass could show him," the lady remarked.

"Indeed, ma'am, it's right glad I'd be to do it," Elsie began (how very
polite any one can be when they choose), "but we're quite strange, and
have lost our own way, our mother being dead and our father in London,
which we're trying to find; and perhaps, ma'am, you would be so kind as
to tell us the way." All this was said very rapidly.

"If they can't help us, why not drive on?" the gentleman remarked
impatiently.

"Stay a moment," the lady said. "These children may possibly be of great
use to us. Look at the girl, William. She hasn't at all a bad face, if
she were well dressed," she added, in a low tone, which, however, did
not escape Elsie.

"You say your mother is dead and your father in London," the lady added.
"Who are you living with?"

"There was a woman who took care of us," Elsie replied quickly, "but she
let our father think we were dead, so we ran away to find him; and a man
who gave us a ride in his cart robbed us of our pennies and our clothes,
and was very cruel. We ran away in the clothes they gave us."

"What a deal of running away," the lady said, not unkindly; "and your
little brother looks tired. Do you know how far it is to London?"

"No, not exactly, ma'am," Elsie replied.

"Well, it is hundreds and hundreds of miles; and let me tell you at once
you will never get there if you walk for ever. But," she added quickly,
leaving Elsie no time to reply, "I may be able to help you. I am a sort
of good fairy. Walk on towards Killochrie. Ask any one you see the way
there, and before night I will come back again. That is all. Coachman,
drive on. You must look out for some one else to direct us."

Then the man whipped up his horses and drove off, leaving Elsie standing
by the roadside in a sad state of bewilderment. Could she have heard
aright? Before three minutes had passed she began