ld send in
search of her, but in the meantime she had stolen a march upon them, and
given herself the advantage of a start, so she hoped by using all
possible haste to get away before she was traced.

As she strode rapidly along, all her old vagabond instincts arose, and
the gipsy element which had justified her name came strongly to the
fore. It was a delightful, mild afternoon, with blue sky and bright
sunshine; the gardens on either side of the road were gay with pink
hawthorn and long, drooping sprays of laburnum, while blackbirds,
thrushes, chaffinches, and tits were singing in a perfect chorus of joy.
It felt so glorious to be as free as the birds, to be rid of all the
tiresome rules and restrictions and conventions that had oppressed her
soul for the last eight months, to be accountable to nobody but herself,
and to be able to do just what she chose and go where she liked. School
seemed as a nightmare behind her, and the world a fresh wonderland which
it was her happy privilege to have the chance to explore.

"I'll never go back again--never!" she resolved. "Not if I have to sweep
a crossing or sell flowers! But I don't think it will come to that,
because I'm sure I can get a post on board ship. Oh, what a blissful
relief it is to be on my own for once! I've made up my mind to find Dad,
if I have to go to the ends of the earth to hunt for him."

In the exuberance of her spirits she almost danced along, humming now
Schubert's "Wander Song", with its ringing refrain:

"Oh! surely he must careless be,
Who never loved to wander free,
To wander! To wander!"

or "The Miller of Dee", with special emphasis on the words:

"I care for nobody, no, not I!
And nobody cares for me."

The sight of the town of Greyfield, with its streets and shops, changed
the current of her thoughts, and brought the more sober reflection that
she had no money in her pocket, and that it was a matter of urgent
necessity to obtain some if she meant to reach Liverpool and start for
South Africa. The fare, she knew, was about seven shillings, and though
she hoped to be able to embark on board ship almost immediately after
her arrival at the port, she supposed she would require something in the
way of food on the journey. It went to her heart to be obliged to sell
her beautiful gold watch, but in the circumstances it seemed the only
thing to be done, and she braced her mind to part with