“Go!” said Girlie.
“Oh, well, then, I don’t want it,” said the Doctor-in-law hurriedly. “I don’t want a watch that will go, I want one that will stay. Why, if my watch was to go, I should always have to be going after it! and, talking about going, I must be off or I shall be late for the Wallypug. You can pay me the half-crown when we meet again.” And, with a nod and a smile, the little old gentleman pocketed his watch and hurried off.
“Oh! if you please!” cried Girlie, running after him, “could you direct me to——”
“Can’t stop!” interrupted the Doctor-in-law; “my time is far too valuable, and besides, you have no money.” And walking rapidly away, he got over a stile and disappeared into a field beyond.
“Oh dear me! whatever shall I do now?” thought poor Girlie, looking about her in dismay.
There was nobody in sight, so she decided to sit down on the bank and wait until some one came past who would direct her to somewhere or other.
“For I haven’t the remotest idea where I am,” she thought. “I don’t even know how many miles I am from home. I wonder,” she went on, “how many miles one can travel through the air while you count eighty-five. I suppose it depends upon how quickly you are travelling. Perhaps I could make a sum of it and do it by rule of three. Let’s see! If it takes one girl one minute to count sixty, how many miles can a girl and a doll travel through the air while you count eighty-five? I suppose you have to multiply the minutes by the miles, and divide by the number of people,” she thought; and was so very busy trying to do this sum in her head, as she described it, that she did not notice a young man walking down the lane, till he had nearly reached her.
Girlie could scarcely keep from laughing when she first saw him, for he looked such a very comical person; he had long hair, and wore glasses, and carried his hands dangling in front of him. (“For all the world like a kangaroo,” thought Girlie.)
He came and sat down quite close to her, and after staring at her for some time, smiled in a patronising kind of way.
