ats in summer? Did she really mean it?"

Gwendolyn proved that she "really meant it" by pushing the "Dorothy
Calvert" into position and nodding to him that she was ready.

"All right! Let her go!" he responded to her silent invitation and
away they went, as ill-matched a pair as might have been found. But he
had a boy's fearlessness and love of adventure; and even on that
swift descent his gay whistling floated back to those above.

Meanwhile, John Gilpin was explaining with considerable pride,
yet thankful that the Bishop was out of hearing on his own
downward-speeding toboggan:

"You see, lassie, how't Robin was dead set to come. Said he knew so
good a man as his Reverence wouldn't say 'No' to us, and just kept
teasin' at me till we stepped-an'-fetched a lot of staves come off a
hogshead. So I fastened 'em together on the insides--See? And we've
shaved an' shaved, an' glass-scraped 'em on t'other till they'll never
hurt no slide 't ever was iced. The Bishop seemed terr'ble afraid I'd
rough up his track with it, but it's a poor track that water won't
freeze smooth again; so if we do happen to scratch it a mite, I'll
step-an'-fetch a few buckets o' water and fix it up again. And say,
girlie, where's that Jack, boot-boy? And Baal? I ain't seen hide nor
hair of ary one this long spell, an' I allow I kind of sorter miss
'em. He used to give the dame the fidgets with his yarns of what
he's goin to be an' do, time comes, but me an' him got on fairly
well--fairly. As for that goat, he was the amusingest little creatur'
't ever jumped a fence, even if we did fight most of the time. Hah,
hum! I've noticed more'n once that the folks or things you quarrel
with are the ones you miss most, once they're gone."

"We haven't seen Jack since that time he locked me in the drying-room.
He ran away, I reckon, and took Baal with him. And it's just like
you say: nobody liked him much, and he was always in disgrace with
somebody, but I heard the Lady Principal say, only yesterday, that
she actually believed she missed that worthless boot-boy more than
any other servant who might have left."

"Well, now, Dorothy, don't that beat all? That book-l'arned lady just
agreein' with me! I often tell Dame 't I know more'n she thinks I do,
but all she'll answer to that is: 'John, that'll do.' A rare silent
woman is my Dame but a powerful thinker. Hello! Here they come back
again. Robin! Robin! Look-a-here! You didn't bamboozle me into makin'
our