and Gabriel descended into the road. Romola managed to break their fall,
but they were both terrified, and refused to mount again, so Constable
took a turn instead, holding the bridle himself, while Lilith, with all
the Castleton instinct for artistic effect, gathered posies of wild
flowers and wove them into a wreath for the donkey's neck.

The small people could not walk fast, and the steed stopped so often to
demand refreshments, that the expedition was very leisurely and they did
not proceed far. They had only reached the point above the lighthouse
when Mavis, with an eye on her wrist watch, declared it was time to turn
back.

"We'll go with you another time, when we haven't to trail all this crew
along!" sighed Beata, as she bade good-bye to her friends. "Children are
a nuisance if you want to get on quickly. I'd have left them in the
garden if I could! Come and see us again at The Haven, won't you? I wish
Claudia and Morland were at home and we'd have some music. Well, I shall
see you next week, I suppose. I'm to have my first violin lesson on
Monday. I don't know whether I'm glad or not. I expect I shall be
terrified of Mr. Barlow. I learnt from a lady before. How I'm going to
practise and do all the home lessons Miss Mitchell sets us I can't
imagine! I think I shall strike like the 'donk' and refuse to stir unless
they give me peppermints!"




CHAPTER V

Miss Mitchell, B.A.