n. The two places
were only ten miles apart, but, as John's horse 'Lion' never travelled
faster than three miles an hour, and frequent stops had to be made to pick
up passengers and luggage, and put down other passengers and other
luggage, the journey was seldom accomplished in less than six hours.

The day that Mona travelled to Seacombe the journey took longer than
usual, for they had to stop at Barnes Gate--an old turnpike--to pick up a
couple of young pigs, which were to be brought by a farm boy to meet them
there; and as the pigs refused to be picked up, and were determined to
race back to their home, it took John and the farmer's boy, and some of
the passengers, quite a long time to persuade them that their fate lay in
another direction.

Mona, homesick and depressed, was quite glad of the distraction, though
she felt sorry for the poor pigs. At that moment she felt sorry for
anyone or anything which had to leave its old home for a new one.

Only a few days had elapsed since that evening when her father's letter
had come, and her grandmother had fallen over the faggots, but such long,
unhappy days they had been. Her grandmother had been silent and
depressed, and she herself had been very unhappy, and everything had
seemed wrong. Sometimes she had longed to be gone, and the parting over.
Yet, when at last the day came, and she had to say good-bye to granny,
and her own little bedroom, and the cottage, and to leave without saying
good-bye to Mrs. Lane, it seemed almost more than she could bear.
She looked out at the cottage and at granny, standing waving her
handkerchief, but she could scarcely see either because of the mist in her
eyes, and, when at last the van turned a corner which cut them off
entirely from view, the mist in her eyes changed to rain.

If it had not been for the other people in the van, Mona would have jumped
out and run back again, and have confessed all to granny, and have been
happy once more. She knew that if she asked granny to forgive her,
she would do so before long, even if she was vexed with her at first.

But Mona's courage failed her. The people in the van would try to stop
her, and very likely would succeed, and there would be such a chattering
and fuss. Her spirit sank at the thought of it, and so she hesitated and
wavered until it was too late.

It was not to be wondered at that she welcomed the little scene with the
pigs at the four cross-roads, and felt quite glad when