it be fun!" And Fanny, quite
mollified, did not remove Dan's big pasty.

The door opened and Jabez came in. "I've got the moke," he said; "he's
in the yard; and I've put a few carrots in the cart for 'ee to 'tice un
along with, for if that there creetur haven't made up his mind a'ready
not to see Helbarrow Tor this day--well, I'm a Dutchman, and whatever my
failings I ain't that yet."

"The only enticing he'll get from me will be with the whip," said Dan
with great scorn, "so you can take out the carrots again." But Jabez
shook his head wisely.

"They won't take up much room," he said. "I'll put 'em in the nose-bag,
and if you don't need 'em on the way, you can give 'em to the creetur
when he gets there, by way of encouraging un another time. Now, are you
all ready, miss? It's best for 'ee to start before he falls asleep
again, for they'm always poor-tempered if they'm woke up, and then
they'm obstinater than ever."

The five of them could not all get into the cart at once, at least not
with any comfort, so they always, on these excursions, took it in turn
to ride and tie; and Dan, who did not crave for the glory of driving
Mokus through the street, walked on with Betty, leaving the others to
follow.

It was certainly cold when first they started; the air was fresh and
biting, with a touch of frost in it, and the sun had not yet come out.
Anna shivered beneath her fur-lined cloak, and Tony, thrusting his hands
deep down in his pockets, snuggled down between Kitty and Anna, and felt
very glad for once that he was not allowed an outside seat.

But by degrees the sun shone through the misty grayness, bathing the
road before them, and lighting up the bare hedges on either side until
it really seemed that spring had come, that the fresh morning air was
certainly full of the scent of primroses and violets, and the sweet
earthy smell of moss. The birds evidently thought so too, for they came
fluttering and flying from all manner of cosy hiding-places, and,
undaunted by the sight of the brown branches and the leafless twigs,
boldly perched themselves on telegraph wires and trees to survey the
scene while they made their summer plans.

What more could one want than brown branches if the sun was on them!
And how could one hurry or worry, or do anything but revel quietly in
the beauty that lay all about one, and tell oneself there were no gray
days to come!

Mokus, for one, evidently felt that this was no occasion