"How funnily they talk!" whispered Noel to his brother. "Why does he say 'he,' when he means the bus?"
Duke did not reply. He was wondering how all the luggage scattered round it was to be packed on to the omnibus. It seemed somewhat of a puzzle to the men engaged on the task.
The other vehicles had started off and the porters were now anxious to get off "the coach," as they termed it. They placed and replaced the boxes, while the red-faced man shouted somewhat contradictory directions and bystanders made suggestions.
"'Eave 'im up a bit, Joe. Put the littl'un atop. Not that way, t'other side up. Mind that hatbox. All right, sir, that won't hurt. Safe, ma'am? As safe as the baby's cradle."
Nearly half an hour slipped by ere all the luggage was piled up and secured by a rope. Then the passengers took their places, six inside and nine on the top. There was room for two on each side of the driver, and five occupied the bench behind him.
Duke watched them take their places with some dismay.
"We want to go to the Golden Lion," he said to the red-faced man, who proved to be the driver; "will there be room for us?"
"Don't you be afraid, sonny," he replied; "there'll be abundance of room for you and t'other little chap. You don't want a whole coach to yourselves, do you?"
"Now, if you please," he shouted to his passengers, "you can make room there for a littl'un." So saying he helped Duke to clamber up, and pushed him with little ceremony into the middle of the back row.
Then he lifted Noel on to the box, mounted behind him and took the reins. Noel was squeezed into about six inches of space between the driver and a fat-faced burly man who leaned over him as he talked so that the small boy could see little more than the horses with their blinkers saw. But he could see them and observe how they responded to whip and reins and the driver's words. Duke, who sat higher, could see the tall hedges, which promised a rich harvest of blackberries and nuts, and waved sweet tendrils of honeysuckle high above the reach of the passer-by.