tation Master away.

"Oh, don't!" said Bobbie; "don't you see how frightened he is? He thinks
you're going to shut him up. I know he does--look at his eyes!"

"They're like a fox's eyes when the beast's in a trap," said the farmer.

"Oh, let me try!" Bobbie went on; "I do really know one or two French
words if I could only think of them."

Sometimes, in moments of great need, we can do wonderful things--things
that in ordinary life we could hardly even dream of doing. Bobbie had
never been anywhere near the top of her French class, but she must have
learned something without knowing it, for now, looking at those wild,
hunted eyes, she actually remembered and, what is more, spoke, some
French words. She said:--

"Vous attendre. Ma mere parlez Francais. Nous--what's the French for
'being kind'?"

Nobody knew.

"Bong is 'good,'" said Phyllis.

"Nous etre bong pour vous."

I do not know whether the man understood her words, but he understood
the touch of the hand she thrust into his, and the kindness of the other
hand that stroked his shabby sleeve.

She pulled him gently towards the inmost sanctuary of the Station
Master. The other children followed, and the Station Master shut the
door in the face of the crowd, which stood a little while in the booking
office talking and looking at the fast closed yellow door, and then by
ones and twos went its way, grumbling.

Inside the Station Master's room Bobbie still held the stranger's hand
and stroked his sleeve.

"Here's a go," said the Station Master; "no ticket--doesn't even know
where he wants to go. I'm not sure now but what I ought to send for the
police."

"Oh, DON'T!" all the children pleaded at once. And suddenly Bobbie
got between the others and the stranger, for she had seen that he was
crying.

By a most unusual piece of good fortune she had a handkerchief in
her pocket. By a still more uncommon accident the handkerchief was
moderately clean. Standing in front of the stranger, she got out the
handkerchief and passed it to him so that the others did not see.

"Wait till Mother comes," Phyllis was saying; "she does speak French
beautifully. You'd just love to hear her."

"I'm sure he hasn't done anything like you're sent to prison for," said
Peter.

"Looks like without visible means to me," said the Station Master.
"Well, I don't mind giving him the benefit of the doubt till your Mamma
comes. I SHOULD like to know what nation's got the credit of HI