ney,
for I know which way the house went. I saw it rumbling along the road,
and then it turned off to the right and kept a straight line over the
country; nothing stopped it, hedges, ditches, or anything else."

And he took Ulick's hand, and went out upon the road with him. Ulick
half turned and kissed his hand to his own home.

"What is that for?" asked Ben.

"For 'good-bye,' if I don't come back again. The house might take me
away altogether, you know."

Ben laughed.

"Well, then, boy, start off, for there in the distance over the
corn-fields you can just see the house. There, there--do you see
it--moving along?"

"No--yes--no--yes, yes I do. But what is that?"

V.

"What is that? why, a pole with a flag on the top," said Ben.

"No, no," said Ulick, "that----"

"Why, it's Nan flying along. What long legs she has! She goes so fast
that she seems as if she were in two places at once."

"There are two girls running," said Ulick, "and one seems to be
overtaking the other all the time."

"No, there is but one," answered Ben, "but she is here and there so
quickly that you seem to see her in two places at once--you understand
what I mean. And it looks exactly like two people."

"I don't know," said Ulick; "I am sure there are two Nans. What long
legs!"

"Yes, porridge has done that. You should have had some porridge. You'll
never overtake her."

But Ulick started off. Ben watched him out of sight, and then went home.

[Illustration: "HE HAD A PAPER IN HIS HAND" (_p. 361_).]

VI.

Now, all this time a cat was lying comfortably upon a chair in the house
that was running away.

The chair was covered with red velvet, and there was a bright fire in
the room, that sparkled and glowed and made all the furniture in it
shine.

The cat looked up and then she purred, saying--

"Till there is a place
Where gamekeepers are not,
My house shall not stay
In any spot."

And the house with the cat in it went on and on, until it came to a
far-off place where there were no houses and no gamekeepers, and no fear
of traps. Then it stopped with such a jerk that the front door flew
open, and a woolly dog, with a red morocco collar and very stiff legs,
came in, crying out--

"She is coming, she is coming,
She will like a cup of tea.
She must be quite hot with running,
She is coming after me."

"Who is _she_?" asked the cat.

Then said the dog--

"Little Nan, she ate the porridg