On and on they went--Norman was delighted.

"This is great fun; I wonder where we shall get to at last," he said,
when Fanny again stopped to rest. "I think it will be soon time,
however, to go back again," she observed, "for though Mr Maclean told
us we could come to no harm on the moor, we might lose our way if we
went very far."

Norman urged her to go on.

"I see a cottage a little way off between the trees, let us go as far as
that, and then we can turn back," he said.

Fanny wished to please him and though she already felt a little tired,
she thought there would be no difficulty in reaching the cottage, and
that she would like to talk to the people who lived in it. At length,
however, the ground became rougher than ever, and they soon came to a
shallow burn or stream which made its way from the higher part of the
moor, and went winding along till it fell into the loch below.

"I am afraid we must turn back now at all events," she said, "I shall
never be able to drag the carriage over this rough ground and across the
stream, so we must go back and give up visiting the cottage."

"Oh no, no! go on," cried Norman, "you can easily cross the water, it is
scarcely above the soles of your shoes and see there are some big stones
on which you can tread while you drag the carriage along on one side of
them."

"I think I could do that if you were not in it," said Fanny, "I must not
let you, however, run the risk of wetting your feet; mamma objects to
that as she is afraid of your catching cold. If you will cling round my
neck, I will carry you across in my arms, and then I will go back and
get the carriage."

"That will do very well," said Norman. "Lift me up! Be quick about it,
and we shall soon be across."

Fanny dragging the carriage to the edge of the stream took up Norman,
and though he was a heavy weight for her to carry, still she thought
that she could take him across in safety. She had to tread very
carefully and slowly as the stream though shallow was wide and the
stones uneven.

They had not gone many paces when Norman declared that she did not move
fast enough.

"If I attempt to move faster I may let you fall," she answered.

"You had better not do that or mamma will be angry with you, and I am
sure if you chose you could go faster than you are doing. Come, move
on, move on," cried out the young tyrant, nourishing his stick, and
ungrateful little boy that he was, he began to beat Fanny with