ur quarry
to earth under their table. Even as he crossed the threshold I heard
something about 'black brothers being already white to the harvest'. All
the ladies had been sewing flannel things for the poor blacks while the
curate read aloud to them. You think they screamed when they saw the Pig
and Us? You are right.

On the whole, I cannot say that the missionary people behaved badly.
Oswald explained that it was entirely the pig's doing, and asked pardon
quite properly for any alarm the ladies had felt; and Alice said how
sorry we were but really it was NOT our fault this time. The curate
looked a bit nasty, but the presence of ladies made him keep his hot
blood to himself.

When we had explained, we said, 'Might we go?' The curate said, 'The
sooner the better.' But the Lady of the House asked for our names and
addresses, and said she should write to our Father. (She did, and we
heard of it too.) They did not do anything to us, as Oswald at one time
believed to be the curate's idea. They let us go.

And we went, after we had asked for a piece of rope to lead the pig by.

'In case it should come back into your nice room,' Alice said. 'And that
would be such a pity, wouldn't it?'

A little girl in a starched pinafore was sent for the rope. And as soon
as the pig had agreed to let us tie it round his neck we came away. The
scene in the drawing-room had not been long. The pig went slowly,

'Like the meandering brook,'

Denny said. Just by the gate the shrubs rustled and opened, and the
little girl came out. Her pinafore was full of cake.

'Here,' she said. 'You must be hungry if you've come all that way.

I think they might have given you some tea after all the trouble you've
had.' We took the cake with correct thanks.

'I wish I could play at circuses,' she said. 'Tell me about it.'

We told her while we ate the cake; and when we had done she said perhaps
it was better to hear about than do, especially the goat's part and
Dicky's.

'But I do wish auntie had given you tea,' she said.

We told her not to be too hard on her aunt, because you have to make
allowances for grown-up people. When we parted she said she would never
forget us, and Oswald gave her his pocket button-hook and corkscrew
combined for a keepsake.

Dicky's act with the goat (which is true, and no kid) was the only thing
out of that day that was put in the Golden Deed book, and he put that in
himself while we were hunting the pig.

Alic