water. She let it trail, while
she held up a hand to cover one of her eyes. Above her were trees
and an owl, and a star shining under the topmost branch; and on the
opposite page this verse:

"I have a little sister,
They call her Peep-peep,
She wades through the waters,
Deep, deep, deep;
She climbs up the mountains,
High, high, high;
This poor little creature
She has but one eye."

For years Taffy believed that this was his little sister, one-eyed,
and always wandering; and that his mother went out in the dusk to
persuade her to return; but she never would.

When he woke next morning his mother was in the room; and while he
washed and dressed she folded his bed-clothes and carried them down
to a waggon which stood by the door, with horses already harnessed.
It drove away soon after. He found breakfast laid on the
window-seat. A neighbour had lent the crockery, and Taffy was
greatly taken with the pattern on the cups and saucers. He wanted to
run round again and repeat his good-byes to the house, but there was
no time. By-and-by the door opened, and two men, neighbours of
theirs, entered with an invalid's litter; and, Humility directing,
brought down old Mrs. Venning. She wore the corner of a Paisley
shawl over her white cap, and carried a nosegay of flowers in place
of her lace-pillow; but otherwise looked much as usual.

"Quite the traveller, you see!" she cried gaily to Taffy.

Then the woman who had lent the breakfast-ware came running to say
that Joby was getting impatient. Humility handed the door-key to
her, and so the little procession passed out and down across Mount
Folly.

Joby had drawn his van up close to the granite steps. They were the
only passengers, it seemed. The invalid was hoisted in and laid with
her couch across the seats, so that her shoulders rested against one
side of the van and her feet against the other. Humility climbed in
after her; but Taffy, to his joy, was given a seat outside the box.

"C'k!"--they were off.

As they crawled up the street a few townspeople paused on the
pavement and waved farewells. At the top of the town they overtook
three sailor-boys, with bundles, who climbed up and perched
themselves a-top of the van, on the luggage.

On they went again. There were two horses--a roan and a grey.
Taffy had never before looked down on the back of a horse, and
Joby's horses astonished him; they were