THE BOOK OF BETTY BARBER.
and he stared about him, much astonished not to find anybody there.
“Well,” he said, feeling rather annoyed, “I ran very quickly they might have waited for me.’
“Hullo!” called a voice.
Ellessdee looked up. It was Sois hurrying down the path quite breathless.
“They’ve gone,” said Ellessdee, “without waiting for us, isn’t it horrid of them?”
“Which way did they go?” asked Sois. ‘I didn’t find a box. Did you?”
“Not a sign of one,” said Ellessdee, “I suppose they have all gone to Rhyme Land. I’m not going, I’m off home, and you had better come home too. I call this a wild goose chase, not a box chase.”
“If one wild goose” said Sois.
“If you don’t come home,” said Ellessdee, who was feeling quite cross and bad-tempered, “something will happen.”
They were scarcely out of sight when Thirteen-fourteenths appeared, looking rather depressed, walking quite slowly, with his eyes fastened to the ground. He had not found boxes, lids, anything. He bumped into the sign-post with not looking where he was going, and then stared up at it as if he had never seen it before.
“It can’t be the right place,” he said. “Where are the others? They were to wait.” Then he stared about him. “It is the right place,” he said. “Now. where have they gone?” I think I can guess—back to Sum Land. They were all getting tired of the chase. If they had found any boxes, they would have let me know quickly enough. Well, I suppose I must go by myself to Rhyme Land, and hope to find the hare there. Hullo, there’s a procession coming down the road, I’ll hide and watch.”
The Fraction ran to the nearest tree, and climbed into it.
Four Rooks, marching along solemnly, headed the procession, behind them came four more, but they were fastened to a basket,
