t for. Them kind of fellows has very
little sense."

"I expect," said Priscilla, "that he'll be drowned before long, and then
they'll find some papers on his body that'll tell us who he is. I must
be off now, Peter, or I'll be late for the train."

"You're time enough, Miss. Sure them trains is never punctual."

"They are not," said Priscilla, "except on the days when you happen to
be late for them. Then they make a point of being up to the minute just
to score off you."

CHAPTER IV

The train, as Priscilla prophesied, was strictly punctual. It was drawn
up at the platform when she leaped off her bicycle in front of the
station. As she passed through the gate she came face to face with Frank
Mannix supported by the station master and the guard.

"Hullo!" she said. "You're my cousin Frank, I suppose. You look rather
sick."

Frank gazed at her.

"Are you Priscilla?" he asked.

He had formed no very definite mental picture of his cousin beforehand.
Little girls of fifteen years of age are not creatures of great interest
to prefects who have made remarkable catches in the long field and look
forward to establishing their manhood among the salmon and the grouse.
So far as he had thought of Priscilla at all he had placed her in the
background, a trim, unobtrusive maiden, who came down to dessert after
dinner and was kept under proper control at other times by a governess.
It shocked him a little to see a girl in a tousled blue cotton frock,
with a green stain on the front of it, with a tangle of damp fair hair
hanging round her head in shining strings, with unabashed fearless eyes
which looked at him with a certain shrewd merriment.

"You look wobbly," said Priscilla. "Can't you walk by yourself?"

"I've met with an accident," said Frank.

"That's all right. I was afraid just at first that you might be the sort
that collapsed altogether after being seasick. Some people do, you know,
and they're never much good for anything. I'm glad you're not one of
them. Accidents are different of course. Nobody can ever be quite sure
of not meeting an accident."

She glanced at the stain on the front of her dress as she spoke. It was
the result of an accident.

"I've sprained my ankle," said Frank.

"It's my belief," said the guard, "that the young gentleman's leg is
broke on him. That's what the ticket-collector was after telling me at
the junction any way."

"Would you like me to cut off your sock?" said Pris