eggy had now been for nearly a week at Seafield, and it had not been very satisfactorily spent.
She arrived on Monday; that evening she had been scratched by Patrick. On Tuesday morning she had been stung by the wasps, so all Tuesday and Wednesday were spent in bed. On Thursday she had discovered the game of chalk-pounding which led her into such trouble that the half of Friday was spent in bed. Now, on Saturday, surely things would go better with her. We shall see if they did.
“Martin is busy this morning,” said Aunt Euphemia, “so you must play in the garden. Try to play quietly, and not spoil your frock this time. James is there, so surely you cannot get into any mischief.”
Peggy assured her aunt that she would be as careful as possible, and went out into the garden full of good resolutions. James was very busy sweeping the avenue. He did not seem to want to talk, so Peggy left him, and strayed down to the gate. As she stood and looked through the bars she saw something so interesting that she at once decided to go out and see it nearer.
Just outside the gate of Seafield there was a bit of waste ground close to the seashore. On this bit of ground some people were camped. There was a caravan hung all over with baskets, and this evidently belonged to these people—a man and woman and three children. As Peggy came up to the gate, the man was trying to catch the horses and harness them to the caravan. She watched this with great interest. Then she saw that there was a donkey also, so she could not resist the temptation any longer. Out she went through the gate and spoke to the woman. “If you please,” she said, “may I pat your donkey?”
The woman smiled and said, “Oh yes, that you may, missie,” and called to the children to catch the donkey and bring it to Peggy to pat. It was a lovely donkey, pale brown, with a long black cross upon its back, as all donkeys have. Peggy had been told the legend about the cross on the donkeys’ backs, so she stroked the long black mark gravely all the way down the little beast’s back, remembering about the story.
“Do you live in that nice place among the baskets?” she asked the woman.
“Yes, missie, and drive around the country in it all the day,” said the woman. “Would you like to come inside and see it?”
Peggy was delighted. She jumped in and saw what a funny little house it must be to live in.
“We’re just movin’ on, miss,” said the man, coming to the door to help Peggy out. The horses had been harnessed now, and the donkey was tied to run behind the caravan.